


Recurring Dreams

by xT_Zealot



Category: RWBY
Genre: Crossovery Elements, Dreams of Various Kinds, F/F, I Don't Even Know, Modern, Ninjas - Freeform, some sexual content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-08-18
Packaged: 2018-02-13 15:40:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 55,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2156004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xT_Zealot/pseuds/xT_Zealot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Each member of Team RWBY find themselves afflicted with the strange anomaly that is recurring dreams featuring their respective partners. Bumblebee, White Rose, and the various antics shall be the result.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Yellow Beauty Burns

**Author's Note:**

> Began writing this right after Meido with my various other fics - Faun-Filled Pranks, Grimmspawn, and Reunion - having been constructed while this one was going on. Started off as what should've been a modern AU one-shot Bumblebee idea brought on by a GoPro advertisement video featuring a firefighter resuscitating a kitten.
> 
> Then things got insane.

Her breathing quick and excited behind her protective mask, Yang lifted up her leg and kicked. The door shuddered, the hinges struggling to keep it in place, but it held up surprisingly well to that first blow. The damage, however, was obvious and significant with the wood splintering where her booted foot landed, cracks stretching along the entire face of the door.

Undeterred, Yang just brought her foot back up and gave it a second, harder kick. That did it. This time the weakened door shattered into several pieces, knocked off the hinges by the force of the strike to expose the dark and smoky interior of the apartment building beyond.

Yang didn't enter just yet. Instead, with her heart thumping within her chest, the young woman placed her right foot on the ground before allowing it to slide back behind her left. Curling her hands into fists, she brought up her arms to either side of her face. Despite how the rest of her was covered in a heavy, fire-resistant coat and pants, her arms were protected by the comforting armored weight and gold coloring of Ember Celica. Poised in her fighting stance, she waited.

She didn't have to wait long. Even with her heavy clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus, Yang felt the atmosphere shift all around her, hinting to what was about to come. First came a rush of cold air with the smoke that had been contained within the building rushing out through this new point of ventilation.

Shifting most of her weight to her back foot, Yang slowly cocked back her right arm.

That cleared the way for the superheated gases…as well as the fire. Ironically, the pressurized smoke that had filled the building helped confine the flames to keep them from spreading to every corner. Now, with the smoke blasting outwards while oxygen fed inwards, the flames will soon be able to take advantage of this clear path to the outside.

Yang felt the atmosphere shift again. It wasn't cold anymore. Superheated gases that rushed to fill the void left behind by the smoke cranked the air temperature by hundreds of degrees.

Yang could really feel it now. Heart pounding ferociously in her chest, the blonde allowed a vicious grin to appear on her face. As if hoping to mimic the deadly opponent that she was about to engage, she could feel her long hair wave and flicker behind her. To any bystander, the smoke that rose from her head and the gentle flames that trailed along her blonde locks would make them think her hair had caught fire.

Lilac eyes suddenly burned red.

Like a blowtorch, the inferno from within the building's depths blazed forward, making a break for the door to consume its challenger.

She couldn't hold back the delighted shout even if she wanted to. The coiled muscles in her legs and arm springing forward, Yang's thrust her fist out to meet the oncoming tide. Just when the flames were about to lick at the golden knuckle plate, Ember Celica let out a tremendous _bang_.

A powerful blast of wind and pressure blasted out of the hidden barrel to slam into the heart of the blaze. With a _whoosh_ , the wall of fire that had sought to burn this mortal to a cinder found itself being dispersed. Like a knife through butter, the blast cut through the tide of heat, fire, and gas, parting them like the Red Sea. Before Yang's eyes she watched as the flames separated…flickered…then died.

The entryway was clear. Letting out a 'Whoop!' of triumph, Yang pressed on with her hair blazing behind her and eyes burning red.

Despite her minor victory, the building continued to burn elsewhere. Upon stepping inside, Yang's vision became blocked by the smoke that was continually produced. Her helmet and breathing apparatus protected her from inhaling the smoke or having her eyes irritated but they, along with the rest of her clothing, made her movements heavier than usual; slower.

People would usually complain about it. At first, Yang did too until she looked upon it in a different light. Yang liked challenges and the heavy clothing, her slow movements - they were all just another challenge added onto her as she did her job. Like the fires that she combated, Yang found enjoyment in powering on through despite her restrictions.

After all, it took a special kind of person to do this job all the while finding enjoyment in it. It was the kind who _liked_ running into fires. For Yang, it was all about running in and beating it.

And run in she did. Finding the stairs, Yang threw caution to the wind and took them two at a time, her boots slamming into the weakened, wooden steps that could give out on her at any time. Fortunately they didn't.

Like before, Yang detected a new danger as she ascended the stairs. Even though the temperature had dropped back down after felling her first opponent, Yang could feel it slowly building back up. There was another challenger, possibly poised to ambush her as soon as she reached the first floor-

It was. As soon as Yang climbed the final steps of the first flight of stairs, a tendril of flame lashed out from the hall as if to strike her face. The blonde narrowly sidestepped, tilting her head all the while so it slapped at nothing but air. The close proximity with this new threat caused the temperature to spike again.

So too did Yang's excitement. As soon as the fiery tendril retreated, Yang had her armored fist follow after it. There came another _bang_ from Ember Celica, another blast of wind and pressure, and she was clear to enter the first floor.

However, she knew that that wasn't the end. The temperature remained high and the smoke that seeped into the stairway from the first floor was like a thick, black curtain. Her pulse racing, Yang stepped into the hall.

It was somewhere on the first floor that the fire must've first broken out as that was the only way to explain the sight that greeted Yang's crimson-eyed gaze. When she entered the long corridor, Yang found herself at the gateway to Hell itself.

At the floor, walls, and ceiling blazed a raging inferno. The wood was being eaten away as the flames gorged themselves, becoming stronger and hotter while leaving charred remains behind. Curtains dangled from their rods at the windows, the cloth disintegrating while the metal melted due to the intense heat, sagging within their supports. The bronze knobs and handles on the flame-wreathed doors of the various rooms glowed orange, threatening to do the same.

Between the smoke and the heat, the air was beyond oppressive. This was a realm that had been taken and formed by the most destructive element of the world, making this simple apartment complex inhospitable to any of the human beings who had once dwelled within it. Those who would enter from now on would only meet a horrible death as their lungs would collapse from the smoke and hot air, their bodies left to burn to form a warning and proof of the power that was being wrought here.

Standing before it, feet shoulder-width apart, fists clenched at her sides, Yang was grinning from ear-to-ear with teeth exposed. Similar to the display that she was witnessing, her own fire was now whipped into frenzy; her long, golden hair shrouded in a veil of yellow flames that snapped at the surrounding air. It did not add to the carnage though. In fact, her own fiery aura was pushing back against the screen of smoke and flame that wasn't her own, clearing her immediate area with the power of her sheer will.

The hellish landscape took note of this and produced its own champion. At the far end of the hall, the unholy conflagration gathered a portion of its might to give birth to a demon. The surrounding fire stretched and came together, the flames twirling and entangling themselves together to form a skeletal shape that stretched from floor to ceiling. Tendrils wound tight, creating long, thin arms tipped with claws that randomly lashed out. They scratched at an intact window, melting the glass instantly.

Then there was the head: an orange skull with empty, black eye sockets. At the top, the very smoke curled to crown the head with a pair of wispy horns before focusing their attentions at its back to form a pair of wings that stretched as far as the hall would allow.

Those empty eye sockets focused on the bright pillar of light that was Yang Xiao Long. Its jaw stretching wide to expose a pit for a mouth, the surrounding fires gave it the roar it wished to convey to the intruder. It held out its thin arms, clawed fingers spread out as if daring her to come forward.

Yang was more than happy to oblige, bringing her arms back up to either side of her face as she once again took up her fighting stance. Her red eyes met the black ones of this apparition.

She struck first. A carpet of fire separated her and this demonic entity, meaning she would have to fight to get to it. Initiating the start of the battle with a _bang_ from her weapons, that miniature hurricane cleared an entire meter of flooring with one punch. Yang immediately took advantage of this space, stepping forward with her arms held up and ready for a fight.

She was not disappointed as that was exactly what she was going to get. Instead of dispersing as her previous victims had done before, the flames reformed and attempted to reclaim their lost territory. Gouts of flame blasted towards her while tendrils lashed at her.

Yang danced within that onslaught. She hopped to the right, tendrils just barely touching her coat while a tilt of her head allowed her to avoid getting a jet of flame to her face. She responded with another, savage punch with Ember Celica, driving back her attackers and giving her another meter of space for her to duck and weave towards her goal.

The dangers only escalated the closer she got. The temperature, having been only a couple hundred degrees, seemed to go even higher as she drew closer and closer towards the heart of the inferno. With how the shield on her helmet started to curl and, deep within her coat, she could feel the protective lining start to melt, Yang could only assume that the heat was reaching a thousand degrees and beyond. Her protective mask was probably failing as well.

If she didn't finish this fight soon, she could very well die.

She was fully aware of this and yet it did nothing to distract her from the wonderful ballet that she was lost in. She punched, ducked, spun, and even kicked her way through the torrent of flame. Though her feet did not possess the weaponry that her hands did, a spinning kick sliced through a fiery tendril, forcing it to pause and reform long enough for Yang to bring Ember Celica to bear and finish it off.

Yang was just about to pass by a door when she noticed a sudden light blossom through the cracks, originating from the other side. Without thinking, she jumped back just in time for the door to be blasted off its hinges, flying through the space where she was just a moment ago before slamming into the wall. A geyser of fire followed after it as it swept into the hall like a flood, turning to engulf Yang.

A _bang_ from Ember Celica put a stop to it, wind meeting fire in a stunning collision that halted the oncoming tide. But it didn't disperse, not until Yang took a step forward and resumed her counter attack with a vicious left hook that ended with another scream from her gauntlet that pushed it back towards the door it had rushed through. Yang followed after it, now standing within the entrance. She swung her right fist in front of her, then her left again, a one-two punch that sent two more pressurized blasts into the room. Against such a flurry of punches, the tide gave way.

Yang didn't have time to relish in her victory. A sudden spike of heat and illumination off to her side had her turning to see the horned fire demon towering over her. The previous attack had been a distraction to allow the monster to approach unnoticed. One clawed hand was already raised, its intentions clear as its jaw dropped open and the surrounding flames roared audibly. The claws came down to burn through the coat, its protective webbing, and the flesh and blood beneath.

This close the heat was unbearable. Yang knew that she was beginning to be cooked in her gear as the Nomex and Kevlar fibers in her clothing failed to shield her fully from the heat that was now seeping in. Every breath that Yang now took was like a hot blade slicing across her throat.

Yet the pain and the real threat of death did not send her in a panic. It only allowed her to focus. And focusing upon the descending claws, Yang brought her right gauntlet up in an uppercut to meet it.

It almost looked as if the demon was going to seize the smaller, armored fist within its own hand. To have its fingers curl around it and superheat the golden armor while the flesh of Yang's right hand would burn away, veins and arteries giving way as blood evaporated, in order to expose the bones underneath.

_Bang!_

And yet it was that fiery hand that _disintegrated_. The point blank shot from Ember Celica caused the fire that held it together to collapse and scatter. The fingers and the claws that tipped them disappeared into oblivion along with the monster's entire hand. More than that even for, when the demon reeled back, it was with half an arm as everything from the elbow down had been blown away.

" _Hyaaah_!" Despite her scorched throat, Yang still managed to unleash a cry as her left fist came forward.

_Bang!_

A hole was blasted into the center of the demon's mass, legs and torso separating. Its lower half disappeared, leaving its upper half to float in the air.

_Bang!_

The shoulder disappeared, the intact arm that it was attached to being severed before it similarly vanished into nothingness.

With the demon now floating back towards the ground, literally disarmed and helpless, Yang crouched as soon as it dropped to her height. Then, with an explosion of muscle and power, Yang leapt towards the ceiling, putting her high above the demon which tracked her movement with its soulless eyes, its mouth wide but the flames no longer being there to produce the roar it desired to produce to convey its outrage.

Once again locking gazes with the monster, Yang allowed gravity to pull her down, her body falling. She brought her fist back for one more blow.

_Bang!_

The demon's head was obliterated, the smoke that made up its horns and the fire that made its skull scattering within the hurricane winds. Yang's fist, and the blast that Ember Celica unleashed, continued down, slicing through the remains of its torso until the knuckle plate impacted against the wooden floor of the hall.

_Bang!_

The gale hit the floorboards and stretched throughout the entire expanse of the hall. Smoke was launched out through the shattered windows, flames were snuffed out, charred bits of wood and other debris was blown everywhere as the force of the blow purged the entire hall of the last remnants of the inferno.

And then…silence.

Yang realized that she was holding her breath. Remaining crouched with her fist firmly planted within the floor, the young woman looked from one end of the hall to the other. Nothing. No fire, no demon…just the smoky, burnt remains of the hall. As well as the silence.

Well, until she started to breathe again, her deep breaths sounding unusually loud to her ears as it reverberated within her mask. There was the muffled sound of sirens that continued outside but if anyone was making any noise about the display and the absence of the fire, Yang couldn't hear it: her radio was fried.

She slowly stood back up. Her breathing was deep and heavy with a fine sheen of sweat covering her face and no doubt the rest of her. Yet her eyes were still red and searching for a fight, her fingers clenching and unclenching into and out of fists. Her long, blonde hair was currently the only blaze that could now be found within the first floor of the apartment.

Her eyes fell upon a nearby door. It had drawn no particular interest from her; it was just the closest thing to her. Squaring her shoulders and allowing the remaining aggression to take over, Yang brought up her foot and sent it slamming into the wooden surface. Weakened as it was from the ordeal, the door only required that one kick to send it toppling into the room.

There was no combat to be found here. Her breathing echoing within her helmet, Yang took a step inside the room, slowly looking around. She found herself within a rather plain living room that was simply decorated: a carpet rolled out the floor, curtains hanging from a nearby window, with a large couch dominating the center. There was no television set but, rather, a large shelf filled with books.

Other than the smoke that hung in the air, the room seemed relatively intact. Scanning around, Yang took a step back, ready to leave-

She stopped, red eyes darting to a pair of feet that were dangling over the edge of the couch. Alarmed, Yang walked further into the room, circling around the couch while her eyes followed the feet up along two pale legs…

She was beautiful.

Looking upon the face that was presented before her, Yang felt her breath catch in her throat, eyes – which suddenly switched to its normal, violet coloring – going wide. Behind her, the flames that had continued to dance within her hair instantly faded away.

It was odd. First there had been nothing but pure aggression. Now a calm had taken over, dousing the blaze that had been burning within her very soul as easily as her hair all because of this beauty who was laid out before her.

Following the legs was a body dressed in a black yukata, the sash wrapped around the curves of the woman's supple physique. Her face was what took Yang's breath away. That and the pair of furry cat ears that poked out from her long, wavy black hair. With how the young woman was laying on her back with a book resting against her chest, it almost appeared as if she had just fallen asleep while in the midst of reading.

The soot sticking to her skin and clothing gave a reason for Yang to panic for her life. Dropping to her knees, Yang had Ember Celica shrink back into the form of bracelets so that she could cup the woman's cheek with one hand while the other shook her shoulder in an attempt to wake her. She didn't and, this close, Yang could see that she wasn't breathing. The hand at her cheek dropped down to her neck. No pulse.

She couldn't do anything here, not with all the smoke. She removed her hands from the woman so that she could slip one arm beneath her knees, the other behind her back so that she could lift her from the couch and move her. The book slipped from her chest to fall on the floor but Yang took no notice of it.

She nearly bumped into another firefighter who turned to look at her, startled. The silver eyes behind the mask told Yang who it was and she motioned her head to the woman she carried. Understanding, her sister turned and took off down the hall with Yang following her. Walking down the stairs she had ascended only minutes before, Yang stepped over the same door she had kicked down to reach outside.

Finding a soft patch of grass, Yang gently laid the woman down while pulling off her mask and helmet. By then Ruby had come rushing back, carrying a BVM. Yang immediately took the mask and placed it over the woman's nose and mouth. Once she was sure she had it sealed properly, Yang looked to her sister and nodded her head.

Ruby compressed the bag. Attached to it was an oxygen tank that filled the bag with pure oxygen. Upon Ruby squeezing, it was pushed through a one-way valve to the mask which forced fresh air into the woman's lungs. Yang watched as her sister's lips moved, silently counting the seconds before she squeezed the re-inflated bag again.

Yang looked back down at the woman, hoping to find some sign of life. To her distress, upon the fifth compression, the woman's eyes remained closed and she offered no other sign of life.

 _Come on,_ Yang prayed. _I want to see those eyes._

Yang could only wonder what kind of eyes would fit such a beautiful woman. At first she thought green would be most fitting but, with those cat ears, she wondered if there could be another, unique aspect to the woman's features.

To her relief, she would find out a minute later. Just as she was about to give in to despair, movement caught her eye; that being the fluttering of the woman's cat ears. Beneath the mask, her face contorted into an expression of discomfort before gently shaking her head in an attempt to pull away from the mask. After telling Ruby to stop, Yang obliged…just in time to hear the cutest, cat-like mewl leave the woman's lips.

How easily that sound melted her heart when the fire demon had failed to do so completely stumped Yang.

Finally, the woman opened her eyes and Yang found herself becoming lost in a pair of golden orbs that stared curiously up at her. The blonde found herself using the word beautiful too many times. She tried to find another, better word: gorgeous, magnificent…perfect? Yep, definitely perfect. Even with the soot staining her cheeks, it had done little to convince Yang that the woman was nothing less than perfect.

She felt a tap on her shoulder. Suppressing the annoyance that she felt at being drawn away from perfection, Yang looked back to find Ruby holding out a half-filled water bottle and a cloth that she had apparently soaked with it. Her annoyance transforming into gratefulness, Yang took both items and refocused back to the woman in her arms. With the damp cloth, she wiped at her face to remove the soot.

The woman continued to stare at her which Yang didn't mind the least if it meant to continuing to look at her golden eyes. Between the eyes, the ears, and that heart-melting mewl, Yang couldn't help but compare her to an adorable kitten.

But her little kitten now shuddered within her grip while she coughed. Yang looked back to Ruby, one eyebrow raised in question. Her sister shrugged helplessly.

"Really?" she questioned. Cloth and water but no blanket? Did she even see what her kitten was wearing?

"Sorry," Ruby apologized.

Rolling her eyes, Yang took off her heavy coat. It had definitely seen better days but it would still prove to be a suitable substitute for a warm blanket. Her kitten seemed to approve of it, the young woman purring as she sunk into the warm folds of the coat, her cat ears facing forward.

It was too cute. She hugged her little kitten against her, lowering her head to press her cheek against that mane of black hair. One of those ears flicked and tickled her cheek, forcing her to giggle.

She pulled away, half-expecting to see the woman look offended at the show of affection. To Yang's delight, she seemed pleased, her lips twitching into a small smile. More than pleased even as the woman tilted her chin up, lips parting slightly in a silent form of suggestion that Yang understood and was all too ready to oblige in.

Without a second's thought, Yang leaned down, tilting her head to the side and pressed her lips against the raven-haired woman in a passionate kiss.

* * *

"And then we got married, had two girls, and thanks to Blake's rich uncle, we were set for life!" Yang proudly proclaimed, ending the story.

Across from her, both Nora and Ruby – who had been staring with rapt attention – let out individual squeals of delight.

"She's been having that recurring dream for nearly a month now," Blake spoke, having been silent the whole time. If anyone had been looking for a reaction from her, all they were able to see was the hardcover novel that the black-haired woman just happened to have in front of her face to hide it. Even when spearing her eggs with her fork to eat them, not once did her face make any kind of appearance to the members of Team RWBY or JNPR.

"Aw, come on, Blakey!" Pouting at her partner, Yang nudged her with her elbow to try and get her to react. "The rich uncle and the kids were a new one."

Blake easily ignored it and only offered a quick, "Probably because you made that up."

"I did not!"

"Wait…" Further down the table, sitting between Pyrrha and Ren, Jaune looked confused. "How can you have kids if you two are-?"

"Magic," Yang answered bluntly.

"Oh…" Jaune looked as if he wanted to pursue the subject further but the narrowed, lilac eyes told him that it would be best to drop it than to challenge the blonde brawler.

"Trust me Jaune, trying to give logic to dreams – among other things - is just…well…illogical."

Sitting next to Ruby, a certain white-haired heiress rolled her eyes. "I'll say. Since when are you able to punch fire away?"

Yang just stared at Weiss, one brow raised in a perfect 'are you serious?' face. "Really? The fire managed to create a giant, flaming demon and you're put off by the fact that I can _punch it_? Although I will ask you this, princess: have you seen me _not_ punch fire?" Crossing her arms over her chest, Yang gave her challenger a grin, apparently pleased at her cleverness.

Weiss just performed another eye roll before ignoring Yang entirely, much more interested in finishing the rest of her breakfast.

"And this is why I didn't let you in my dream." Sighing at the display, Yang looked back down the table at Jaune before motioning a hand to the heiress. "You see? You just take the fun out of everything when you try to apply logic."

Jaune wasn't sure if he did but, like Weiss, he suddenly found his bagel to be much more interesting.

"Well I liked it!" Instead of a plate of sausages, pancakes, eggs, or whatever the Beacon cafeteria served for breakfast, Ruby seemed content with a bowl of cereal that she dipped her spoon in. "Your stories were always as good as the ones you used to read to me."

"I can always count on you, little sis!" Pleased with her sibling's comment, Yang leaned over and ruffled her hair, forcing her to spill the spoonful of cereal.

"Hey!"

"Back to _reality_ ," Weiss interjected with a stretch of the last word. She looked to Ruby who was now trying to fix her red and black hair that Yang had just messed with. "Don't forget that we have a date at the library after classes. Your grades have been slacking as of late and if I have to deal with you as my team leader, I'm certainly _not_ going to let our team become reputed for being led by a dunce." She paused, thinking about what she just said, then added, "Well, publicly reputed anyway."

"Wait a minute." Yang looked at Weiss, then to Ruby, confusion evident on her features. "Ruby, I thought you said this morning that you and I were going to bake…cookies…?"

Yang trailed off for, as soon as she started speaking, her sister's head suddenly jolted up, a panicked look on her face. While fearfully glancing to her left, Ruby was frantically slicing a hand across her throat in the universal sign of 'shut up'. Unfortunately, the warning came too late as Ruby's face became paler than normal. Yang soon saw why.

The slice of toast that Weiss held froze an inch from her mouth, her head lowering just enough so that her white bangs hid her eyes. Her clenched jaw and how that toast was crushed into crumbs within now-tight fingers told everyone within the vicinity all they needed to know.

"This morning," Weiss repeated. She tilted her head back up so that her right eye was exposed, locked directly onto her team leader. "I think I remember telling you that we were going to the library last night."

Ruby tried to inch away but such movement was blocked by Nora who, blissfully unaware of the trouble she was in, was focused on drowning her pancakes in a pool of syrup.

The attempted maneuver did not go unnoticed. Weiss leaned her face towards her partner's while one manicured nail tapped menacingly on the table. "Ruby Rose, were you planning on _ditching_ our study session? After I, your best teammate, volunteered _my_ time in order to improve _your_ academics?"

Yang grimaced. _Woopsy._

"Ehehe…" Ruby laughed nervously. "…The cookies were going to be for you?"

 _Yeah so that she wouldn't get angry,_ Yang concluded. _Or so you hoped anyway._

That blue eye continued to stare unblinkingly at Ruby. Seeing that she had been exposed, the young leader gently bopped herself on the head, sticking her tongue out at one corner of her mouth to form a dorky expression. Such a cute display didn't save her as Weiss shot to her feet, one hand grabbing the hood of Ruby's red cloak.

"Ack!" Ruby found herself being pulled from her seat, her butt landing on the cafeteria floor before she proceeded to be dragged away.

"You know what? I think it'll help if we start our day by getting to classes early!" Easily dragging the younger girl behind her with one arm, Weiss proceeded to head towards the cafeteria doors. "It'll give us time to go over your notes so that you're properly prepared for today!"

"But what about breakfast?" Ruby whined, arms and legs flailing as she tried to get out of her partner's grip. She failed miserably.

"You're young," Weiss used her other arm to open the door before continuing on. "You can miss a couple meals."

Team JNPR, the two remaining members of RWBY, and undoubtedly a number of the other students gathered in the cafeteria silently watched as Ruby was pulled along until the door closed and put her out of sight. They still managed to hear a muffled whine of "Weiiiiiss!" before all was quiet again.

"Sooo…that happened," Yang ended unhelpfully.

Such antics weren't new to the two teams – or for the rest of Beacon for that matter –, meaning that it didn't take long before everyone went back to their own conversations. Thinking back to her dream, Yang looked to her left where her own partner sat next to her.

Yang had been keeping an eye on Blake during her verbal retelling of her dream and had constantly been forced to suppress multiple stabs of disappointment when the black-haired woman had refused to show any reaction with the use of her book. She thought she saw that bow twitch at least once near the end of her tale but otherwise nothing.

Well, this was Yang Xiao Long after all and a book certainly wasn't going to stop her. Snaking one arm around Blake's shoulders, she pulled her into a tight, one-armed embrace. For just a brief moment Yang saw those golden eyes widen in surprise before her vision became filled with those midnight tresses as she pressed her face against Blake's, nuzzling cheek-to-cheek.

"I know you heard it before but you can't deny that it's still very romantic!" Though her mouth was open to speak, Yang's eyes were closed as she savored the sensations. That smooth, soft cheek that she rubbed against her own and the wavy, dark locks that stroked and caressed her face with her movements.

"Yang." Blake was squirming within her grip while attempting to move her face away from her affectionate partner. That arm that was secured around her shoulders prevented her from doing so.

"I mean a dashing warrior, battling her way through fire and demons to stumble upon a lovely maiden at the end!"

"Yang." After a bit of struggling, Blake managed to lift an arm between her and Yang. Pressing her palm against the blonde's chest, Blake attempted to push her away.

Yang seemed to hardly be aware of her discomfort – or the hand pushing against her -, as she blissfully continued, "It seems like a perfect story to add to your collection! I'll see about getting someone to write it down, maybe look up a publisher-"

" _Yang!_ " Although the space she eventually created between the two of them was miniscule, it was enough for Blake to get her other arm into play. With both hands placed on her partner's chest, Blake pushed with all her might.

With a surprised yelp, Yang found herself sliding along the bench seat of the table, arm flying away from Blake's shoulders. She ended up colliding into the side of Ren who, in turn, was pushed against Jaune with a surprised grunt. The force of Blake's push was not enough for Pyrrha to be effected but the red-haired amazon found herself pounding Jaune's back when she noticed her leader coughing and clutching his throat in clear sign of him now choking on his breakfast. Of course, one strong pound from Pyrrha Nikos was enough to slam Jaune into the table. At least he coughed up that piece of bagel.

Upon recovering, Yang looked up to find Blake on her feet, bow twitching in agitation atop her head. She refused to look at Yang, her amber eyes staring straight ahead. There was, however, a faint blush on her pale cheeks.

Any thoughts of how cute the sight of those pink cheeks were were put on hold when Blake declared, "I think I'll head to class early as well." Snatching her novel from the table, Blake turned a particularly stiff back to her partner before speed walking out of the cafeteria.

Yang watched her leave, her earlier cheeriness having been dashed at the sight of that retreating back. After making a quick apology to Ren, Yang sat back up before planting her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands, looking dejected.

 _Definitely not my best move,_ she decided.

Then again, what did she expect? If there was one thing she knew about Blake Belladonna, it was that such displays of public affection made her particularly uncomfortable. Even after being officially declared as a couple and the spree of dates during their months together, affection was a funny subject when it came to Blake.

Not to say that she didn't know of the concept. Far from it. When alone, they acted like any normal pair of girlfriends. They'd hold hands, cuddle, exchange pecks on whatever body part they desired, even delve into full make-out sessions when Ruby and Weiss were absent from their dorm room. Yang remembered a particularly fond memory of a cold winter night where, instead of her books, Blake found comfort sitting in Yang's lap, her head buried in the crook of her neck, warm breath blowing along her face.

Yang was more than willing to just enjoy the weight and warmth of her girlfriend. With her arms around Blake and a blanket wrapped around the two of them, Yang contently listened to her partner's breathing while one hand idly played with one of those exposed cat ears, eliciting a purr that had put such a stupid grin on her face.

But lately…

"Does she not like me anymore?" she questioned aloud.

While it was true that Blake's affections were reserved for private moments, Yang had been seeing less of that as well. Make-out and even cuddling sessions were being put on hold with Blake making increasingly frequent excuses to avoid such intimate contact. Hugs and pecks on the cheeks were responded to with awkward return hugs and a drifting gaze.

To say that Yang was worried was an understatement, especially with this cold sense of fear that writhed within her heart.

Out of the gathered members of Team JNPR, there was really only one person who could help her. Once she made sure that her leader was now breathing properly, Pyrrha stood up from her seat so that she could walk over and take up the space that Ruby had previously occupied across from Yang.

She was really the best choice that Yang had when it came to needing a friend to talk about her shaky relationship. When she had been driven with the urge to talk to someone, Yang found most of her close friends being X'ed out with only a second of thought. Weiss? Definitely not. Ruby? She could talk to her little sister about anything - except this. Even with her recent sixteenth birthday, in Yang's mind she was still far too young to get caught up in such a messy issue that was intimate relationships.

That was also a polite way of saying that Ruby would be no help at all. The only love that Ruby had in her life was Crescent Rose and that was _slightly_ different from people.

That left Team JNPR and seventy-five percent of its members were crossed out with just as much ease. Jaune the self-proclaimed smooth talker? Ha. Nora was…Nora which said it all. While, admittedly, Ren might prove to be a possibility, Yang felt much more comfortable speaking to someone of the same gender. Which left Pyrrha.

"I think," Pyrrha offered gently, "that that was a bit much."

Yang blew out a breath. "I knooow." She moved her hands from her chin to her temples, rubbing them gently. "It's just that…it's driving me crazy. She's become so much more reclusive then usual and I'm worried. I guess I kind of just wanted to just try and get _something_ from her. A clue as to what she's thinking about us; if she's still interested in this relationship."

Pyrrha didn't offer anything. Not right away anyway. Hand on her chin, she hummed thoughtfully while her green eyes looked to the exit that Blake had taken. Yang just stared intently at the other woman. With over a week of Blake's illusiveness and scrambling around her own thoughts to think of an explanation, she was willing to take anything that was offered to her.

"You've been together for…?"

"We've been going out for over five months now," Yang answered.

Still with that thoughtful expression, Pyrrha nodded in confirmation. "I see."

Silence.

"Soooo…?"

"Here's what I'm thinking." Returning her sights to Yang, Pyrrha continued, "Between what I've seen and what you've been telling me, I might have an idea. Have you been in a relationship before?"

Yang rubbed the back of her neck, laughing nervously. "Uh…yes…one or two."

The number was just a bit higher than that but if Pyrrha had any suspicions about it, she didn't let it show. "And they would usually last…?"

"One month." After another nervous chuckle Yang added, "At most."

"So this is really the longest you've been in a relationship." Upon receiving a nod, the corners of Pyrrha's lips quirked into a tiny smile. "Okay. Well five months is certainly a long time for you and I don't see Blake being experienced in this either."

Yang didn't think so either. Although she could've easily asked, the awkward beginning of her and Blake's time as girlfriends told her that this was definitely not something that her partner was used to. Then again, it could've just been because they were of the same gender. Yang had gone out with boys before but Blake was certainly the first girl she had decided to date. That still puzzled her at times with how she just one day found herself becoming increasingly attracted to her partner in more than friendly terms.

On the other hand, how could she not? Blake tended to be such a serious, mysterious individual and when you broke through that exterior and found yourself holding a shy, awkward creature with twitching cat ears - seriously, how could you not fall in love with her? She was just _too cute_!

"Right now," Pyrrha spoke again, snapping Yang from her daydreaming, "I think Blake is just confused. It's becoming increasingly obvious that this is starting to be something more than either of you were probably expecting. After five months a couple usually start to realize that they could potentially be staying together for much longer than that. They start to think of the future, of what could happen next, and then there's the fear of if they're going to stay together that long."

A sobering observation. It was making Yang think about those questions now. Her brief flings with boys certainly hadn't made her think about it before. Boys being boys – and maybe Yang being Yang, she grudgingly admitted – and their tendencies to think more of the physical rather than the emotional made it difficult to establish a lasting relationship. To be fair, Yang could just as easily be swayed by a man's handsome features and hot body until they wanted more, then tried to _get_ more, and she replied with a resounding no. To the face.

With Blake it was different. Hell, with her inexperience with relationships it was Yang who tended to initiate contact. But despite the holding hands and other examples of intimacy, she had never been overly aggressive and Blake seemed content with the pace that she was setting; an enjoyment with another's company followed by more passionate moments that Yang usually started. It had seemed normal.

Perhaps too normal. Thinking about it now, Yang found herself questioning if it really has been five months that passed. If it was, it happened too fast for her to notice.

 _Maybe I have found something special in her._ She focused her attention back to Pyrrha. "Okay Dr. Nikos, what do you suggest?"

Although her cheeks visibly warmed at the title, Pyrrha responded, "Just give her time. She has things she needs to sort out on her own such as deciding whether she wants to take that step to the next level with you or not."

"So no public glomping." Yang nodded her head in understanding. "Got it."

She said it but almost immediately she realized that it was going to be difficult. Waiting was not something that she was very good at. This talk also did little to help the fear that started coiling around her insides when she was struck by the idea of Blake choosing not to go further with their relationship. She was supposed to deal with it until she got some kind of answer from Blake? How long would that take?

"Attack with dreams!"

The random shout caused both Yang and Pyrrha to jump, the two of them whipping their heads around to the source. They found Nora standing on her seat, arms held high in the air, and a wide smile on her face.

Yang gave her a quizzical look. "Um, what?"

"Attack with dreams!" Nora repeated as if that would explain it. "Get her to love you through the use of careful manipulation! Of dreams!"

"…What?"

Nora extended a finger across the table to her own partner. "I do it to Ren all the time! Whenever I want pancakes, I just get up before him, stay close to his bed, and just say 'pancakes' over and over again!" As if to demonstrate, Nora cupped her hands around her mouth and whisper-shouted, "Pancakes!"

Ren's face remained stoic despite the display. "I don't think that's how it works, Nora."

"If that's true, why did you make me pancakes Saturday?"

"Because you asked me to."

"Because I _commanded_ you to!" Her eyes narrowing seriously, Nora extended her hands towards Ren and waggled her fingers as if she was a sorceress casting a spell. "Through _subliminal messaging_!"

Ren sighed. When he glanced over to Yang and Pyrrha only to see the two women giving him questioning looks, he decided to admit, "I do tend to dream about pancakes when she does that."

Nora let out a whoop of triumph, doing a little jig.

"Nora."

"Yes, Ren?"

"Sit down please."

Stifling a giggle at the two's antics, Yang gave Pyrrha a raised brow that clearly asked, _How do you deal with this?_

Pyrrha just smiled and shrugged.

Seeing their discussion having come to an end, Yang just happened to spot the bowl of cereal that Ruby left behind when she had been taken by the heiress. Her own plate having been emptied already, Yang decided to reach out and drag the bowl across the table towards her, suddenly curious. Inspecting the contents, she found some very familiar-looking sugar-filled flakes floating within the sea of milk.

 _Pumpkin Pete's?_ Yang silently questioned. Odd. While Beacon did supply its trainees with a variety of food, such sugary treats like this cereal – and particularly greasy, fatty morsels like bacon – were one of the few restrictions that kept them off the menu. How did Ruby…?

Suspicious, Yang looked up at Pyrrha to see another smile on her face, this one looking guilty.

"Doctor by day, smuggler by night, huh?" Even with the comment, Yang found herself taking hold of the spoon and filling it with milk and flakes to devour.

"Hey, Reeennn?"

Next to her, Ren looked up to find ten fingers waggling in front of his face. With another, defeated sigh, he slid his plate – complete with half-eaten pancakes - across the table, a grin breaking through his stoic features when Nora cheered.

Spoon in her mouth, Yang watched the display before humming to herself, an idea coming to mind.


	2. Black The Beast

When Blake opened the door to Team RWBY's dorm, all she saw was darkness. Not that that was a problem with her night vision; her eyes like glittering points of amber in the darkness. The young woman silently slipped into the room before carefully closing the door behind her so that only a barely audible _click_ emitted upon the lock reengaging once it was sealed.

At this hour, she expected her team to be in their beds and fast asleep by now. No, she had _planned_ on it. With all her efforts to avoid her teammates throughout the day – especially one in particular -, it would've been too awkward to give them a chance to swarm and question her with the closing of classes. She knew they would mean well and they would only do so because they were worried about her but she had desired privacy when they weren't cooped up in the classrooms.

Besides, what had been troubling her was strictly a personal matter and something she needed to settle for herself.

As soon as she took a quiet step further into the room, she immediately noticed that something was wrong; specifically the empty beds. Well at first it was just the one bed. Sitting right across from her own bottom bunk was Weiss's but the heiress could not be found within the sheets. In fact, the sheets remained undisturbed from when Weiss had carefully made her bed this morning.

Curious, Blake had stood at the side of the abandoned bed before looking up. A short climb and pushing aside the makeshift curtains of the top bunk revealed that Ruby's was similarly empty. Odd.

 _They said they were going to the library after classes,_ Blake remembered. She looked off to the far wall of the dorm where she could see a clock hanging from it. Even though the light of the moon that barely slipped through the curtains of the window should've told her enough, she wanted to be sure. _No, the library should definitely be closed by now._

Where were they then?

Her curiosity started to evolve into concern. Worried that her partner had disappeared as well, Blake turned to look over her shoulder to Yang's bunk. Even at this distance her enhanced vision allowed her to see the body that lay on top of the mattress. That and the ridiculously long mane of blonde hair.

Blake sighed in relief. Reverting back to her stealth, the faunus dropped away from Ruby's bed and practically tip-toed over to Yang's side.

Unlike the other members of RWBY, Yang tended to sleep on top of her blankets rather than settle within their embrace. Blake had admittedly been envious that the nightly chill never seemed to affect her even when she was dressed in nothing more than her orange top and black short shorts. Then again, when one witnessed the visible manifestation of her fiery Aura, any such doubts were swept aside.

No one had as much firsthand experience as Blake did when it came to Yang's warmth. During the months when winter's frozen presence came over Beacon, their occasional cuddling sessions usually involved the two being drawn as close as they could to one another while a blanket was draped around them. Funnily enough, Blake found herself seeking comfort from Yang's body rather than the blanket. The heat that radiated from her partner's skin had warmed Blake immensely during those cold nights and with her head cushioned by her ample chest, the beating heart beneath had been a comforting melody that had lulled her to sleep on more than one occasion.

She had been finding herself reminiscing those moments quite frequently. Well, Blake had been reviewing their entire relationship a lot lately but it was those moments of closeness in particular that she was relying on when it came to deciding on certain things about their relationship such as whether to continue with it or not.

It was not a question as to whether she loved Yang or not; she did so absolutely. However, such a tender emotion was one that had been previously unknown to the faunus. Having been born and raised in a life that had been so ruthless to her because she sported an extra pair of ears didn't leave much room for love. Contempt, fear, hatred, rage, and sorrow came in abundance instead.

There was perhaps one point in her life – one _person_ in her life – where she may've found something close. Companionship and camaraderie in the wake of shared misery had been bred between the two of them to bring them together in achieving a common goal. Whether it would've led to love or not remained a mystery as he had chosen a path that she could not follow and was forced to break away from his side.

That had only been one of the several examples of regret and heartache that dominated her life. Forced to abandon her previous cause, Blake had sought to find a reprieve in the halls of Beacon. She found much more then she bargained for. If she was honest with herself, this new world that she stranded herself on was completely alien to her and she had no way to navigate it, especially when it came to this rocky terrain known as love.

In front of her, Yang slept on. Lying on her back, the blonde's limbs were splayed out all over her bed with one arm stretched out off to the side while the other was half-raised above her head. Her mouth was slightly agape, a gentle snore issuing with each breath.

The display produced a smile upon Blake's face and a warmth to blossom at her heart as this only proved to remind her how different the two of them were; she the quiet bookworm while Yang was the excessively energetic and straightforward brawler. Then again, she supposed that straightforwardness was what helped her get out of her shell and open up her heart to her partner.

Yet she was worried and it was those concerns that kept her occupied for the past week. As much as she wanted to separate from it, her past was her past and one day it may catch up with her. The revelation of her faunus heritage and previous affiliation to the White Fang hadn't exactly gone well when she let it slip in the midst of a heated argument with one Weiss Schnee. That conflict ended up being put to rest but not without difficulties and not without the chance of those problems resurfacing.

Yang, on the other hand, had lived a normal, happy life. As willing as she had been to give their relationship a try, Blake greatly feared that the possibility of the dark remnants of her life would one day come between the two of them. To bring any kind of trouble to Yang distressed her like nothing else and continuing their time as girlfriends would only increase the danger of her partner being sucked into something awful.

More than once Blake had seriously considered ending their relationship for the sake of Yang's safety as she debated on what to do during the week. Logic inevitably kicked in, arguing that Yang was to be a future Huntress so danger was going to be an intricate part of her life. That and she had a very mean right hook. She could handle whatever may come up.

Blake was still worried nonetheless. Her past aside, there was also the fact that she still floundered at times when it came to them being together. The start of their relationship had been awkward to say the least and going further would mean more unexplored territory that could leave her lost on what to do. It didn't help that when it came to more intimate contact between the two of them, Yang was usually the leader as she held more experience. That was all Blake could do: follow her partner's lead.

Not to say that she didn't like it mind you. Nonetheless, her failure to initiate more loving contact worried her. Would Yang get the wrong idea if this pattern continued? Despite her plethora of romance novels, Blake found that she currently possessed a startling lack of knowledge of where to go or how to act.

Logic came in again. This was the first time that she had ever been in a real romantic relationship so there was going to be a lot of learning involved. And this was Yang she was with; if Blake was ever willing to ask, if she ever wanted to confide to her girlfriend, she could do so and Yang would be more than willing to assist her.

And Blake did love her. To be blessed with something as beautiful as what she had developed for her partner even with her previous hardships, the faunus believed that she could be selfish.

Which was why she was going to let this relationship continue to wherever it may lead. Maybe to that happy ending that Blake would read in her novels and would always desire.

She was tempted to wake Yang and inform her of her decision. In fact, without her full consent her hand had slowly reached over to rouse her from slumber but Blake held her fingers back what had to be an inch from her arm. It was close enough so that she could feel that warmth that exuded from her body.

 _Tomorrow,_ she decided. It was late and the weekend was to start in a few hours. Best that each of them got their rest to better help them decide what, exactly, the next level of their relationship was to entail. That didn't stop her from admiring her girlfriend for a couple more minutes.

Finally she dropped back to her own bed. A quick change into her sleepwear and Blake settled down onto the mattress, throwing the blankets over herself while her head rested against her pillow. Unlike how it went during her beginning months at Beacon, her bow was missing, allowing her cat ears to be on full display.

Here with her team, there was nothing for her to hide anymore. Smiling contently, Blake closed her eyes while her ears pricked up towards the sound of her girlfriend's gentle snoring, quickly lulling her to sleep.

The snoring only continued for another minute before it was suddenly silenced. In its place was the sound of shuffling.

A curtain of blonde hair fell over the side of Yang's bed, nearly reaching the floor as she peered down at the bunk below her. Seeing the sleeping occupant, a grin appeared on her face. It was time to get to work.

Descending to the dorm room floor with stealthy movements that would've made Blake proud, Yang made her way towards the shelf.

* * *

Even in a run, Blake's movements were silent. Between the soft fabric of her boots, muscle control, and her own training, each footfall left minimal sound as she kept her feet close to the ground; the less time her feet were in the air, the less downward energy that would create more noise upon impact. It was one of the basic lessons her sensei had drilled into her.

Other than the dark violet sash wrapped around her waist, the rest of her attire was black and tight-fitting, best to avoid any rustling of cloth and to cut back on those extra centimeters that could allow her clothing to brush up against her environment. For tonight, leaf-covered branches and bushes flew past her in a blur.

When she believed that she had covered suitable ground, Blake's run started to slow until she found herself resting in a crouch. Her hand came to her face and pulled down the cloth from over her nose and mouth, exposing the lower half of her face. With her nostrils clear, she took a sniff of the air and detected the scent almost instantly.

During her training, she had been taught to attune herself to her surroundings. Whether it be a forest, swamp, or even a bustling town, she had always been encouraged to allow herself a minute to take in both the sights and sounds of the terrain. In that amount of time, she would get an idea of what was normal and anything that did not match it was something that wasn't right. In an extreme scenario, it would allow her to know where an enemy was hiding.

In this case, she was looking out for prey who did not realize that tobacco smoke could carry a long way.

As always, the intelligence given to her was far from perfect. Considering that this was to be her initiation, it wouldn't surprise her if even more information than usual had been held back strictly to test her. If she wished to become a full-fledged member of her clan, she had to prove that she was as resourceful and adaptable as a ninja should be.

For this mission, she was to locate and retrieve an artifact that had once been sacred to her clan. During the opening of the Clan Wars a hundred years ago, the artifact had been stolen by an enemy faction. Initial attempts to track and find it had ended in failure with the war's outbreak having halted more thorough searches. By the end of the conflict they still had no idea who had taken it or where it had ended up. With the chaos of battle, it was a possibility that even the thieving party no longer knew for whoever was responsible could've been killed and the artifact lost.

Well, that was until it was discovered that an item that held a similar description to the artifact had been reported to be on the black market and had was recently purchased by a merchant. It was currently being transported but while Blake had been given a general area of where it would be, it was up to her to find its exact location.

This scent of tobacco was the only clue she had to there being someone other than her out here. Pushing her mask back over the lower half of her face, Blake started tracking it to the source. She had to be getting closer.

It ended up being much closer. Only two minutes later did she find a road that cut through the forest. An extra minute of traveling parallel to it and she spotted the carriage…as well as its armed escort.

She got slightly ahead of the small convoy before dipping into the surrounding vegetation, going prone. Carefully parting the greenery in front of her just enough so that she could see onto the road, Blake waited for the carriage to come forward so that she could see what she was dealing with. Even with it being night, her vision was long-used to peering through the darkness. It also helped that a couple lanterns hung from the carriage to provide illumination for both the driver and the guards.

There was no one except the driver at the head of the horse-drawn carriage. However, walking alongside it to form a protective perimeter were four armed individuals. They wore mismatched patches of armor and carried weapons; from standard katanas to a yari tipped with a foot long blade. If Blake had to guess, the guards were rōnin or some other disgraced warriors who couldn't find any other job that favored their combat arts. Dangerous foes to be sure if engaged in open combat and allowed to organize but that wasn't Blake's style.

None of them were the source of the tobacco smoke that she could still detect which meant there was at least one more in the carriage. Possibly a liaison or some other hired hand that would collect goods in the merchant's stead. She couldn't say that he would be spared when she struck even if he wasn't knowingly stealing the artifact.

This had to be her target then as what else could it possibly be?

Satisfied with her brief surveillance, Blake allowed the carriage to pass before getting into position to strike. A tree with its thick branches provided the perfect overhang and with the iron hand claws that were strapped to her palms, Blake scaled up the trunk easily before perching herself on the branch. Up here, it provided her the perfect vantage point.

Her hand went to the holster at her thigh, drawing a small crossbow. Bringing it up, one golden eye focused down the sight which followed the retreating carriage. Then she fired.

Shuriken and kunai would not have been enough but the small bolt did the job, having enough momentum to sail through the air and bury into the back of the driver's exposed skull. The man jerked in his seat in response to the blow but that was just the body's instinctive reaction as soon it slumped in its seat and the reins to the horses slipped through now limp fingers. Without direction, the horses slowed.

It took the guards a moment to realize that something was amiss. By then Blake had tossed the crossbow to the side, jumped to the ground, and sped towards the exposed back of the first guard. In no point during the time that Blake needed to cross the distance did the man understand what was happening and when her hand went to the hilt of the sword at her back, Blake made sure that he never would for the last two seconds of his life.

Barely breaking her stride, in one swift motion Blake drew her ninjato and swung at the back of the guard's neck, slicing cleanly through vertebrae. The head dropped to the ground first followed by the body.

Unfortunately, the next guard had been alerted by the dual _thuds_. That didn't save him. When he turned around, hand instinctively dropping to his sheathed blade, Blake was already in his face. Before he had a chance to draw it her now blood-stained sword sliced across his belly. Stepping past him, Blake turned and made another quick, clean slash that ran diagonally from his left shoulder to his right hip.

One side clear. Just like with her second victim, Blake was already moving before her latest kill had fallen.

She ran under the heads of the two horses to cross over to the other side of the carriage, hoping to come at an unexpected angle as she slashed upwards. However, there came a _clang_ as one solid blade met another as the third guard managed to not only draw his katana but bring it in a low guard to block her attack. Blake did not allow disappointment to slow her movements. Removing one hand from her sword, Blake opened her palm, exposing the iron claws, and slapped the guard across the face.

The claws left four deep gouges along his cheek, the pain causing him to cry out. Blake silenced his cries when she used the opportunity to run him through.

By this time, the fourth and final guard had ample opportunity to be warned that they were being attacked and was prepared. He was the most armored and the most heavily armed as he was the one that held the long spear that severely outclassed Blake's shorter blade when it came to length. As he centered his stance and pointed the bladed tip in her direction, Blake knew that getting in close was going to be tricky.

It hardly deterred her. Her gaze focusing solely on the man's armored mask and helmet, Blake extended both her arm and her blade to the side as if to better display the blood of his comrades that now dripped from the steel. It was only meant to draw his attention from the arm that drifted to her back. The guard remained as still as a statue, hardly phased although with his face hidden Blake couldn't make out anything.

Swiping at the air – and thus flinging a small rain of blood to the side -, Blake charged.

The armored warrior seemed content to wait and let the ninja approach him. With the barest of movement, his legs tensed and the tip of his spear backed a fraction to better prepare for a thrust. He had the advantage and he knew it; he was just letting her come to him to be impaled.

When she had closed the distance between them by half, Blake drew that arm from behind her back and flung the trio of shuriken that had been clenched between her fingers. With that armor, the small weapons had little chance to penetrate and do any significant damage. Nevertheless, the sight of these projectiles coming right towards his head forced the guard to react in an instinctive urge to protect his eyes and throat. He turned his head away and the spear was drawn out of position as he lifted one arm to his throat.

The shuriken bounced off his armor.

Blake brought her blade back to strike.

The guard blindly swung his spear back around in an attempt to catch her on the tip.

Dropping to her knees, Blake slid along the road while leaning back, forcing the spear to pass right over her head. Straightening, she turned her body and arm to slash at the guard's knee. There, the armor was at its weakest and Blake's sword cut right through the joint.

Behind the mask came a howl of pain as both the savage cut and the man's own armored weight forced him to drop while attempting to now use his spear to keep himself from falling completely. Behind him Blake stood up, both hands gripping the hilt of her sword in a reverse grip, the blade pointed down. With his hunched over form, Blake found a space beneath the protective covering of his helmet to drive the bloody steel down and stab through the back of the man's neck.

He spasmed and twitched upon the length of metal that pierced his throat which only ceased when Blake removed her sword and let the corpse drop the rest of the way down. With the security dealt with, Blake focused her attention on her prize: the carriage that now sat still. She approached cautiously as she was very aware that no one tried to escape during the commotion and she trusted her gut that there was one more obstacle left.

Almost as soon as she thought it the door to the carriage opened and someone flung themselves out. Blake saw the light from the lanterns glint off a piece of metal. That was enough for her to bring her sword around for one last kill. The fact that her weapon met cloth and not armor was enough for her to guess what she would later confirm with a glance: a rather plain-looking man but the flowing robes marked him as a person belonging to some faction of wealth. The metal that she spotted was from a dagger that he carried.

Not giving the body another look or even another thought, Blake searched inside the carriage, idly wiping the blood off her sword while she did so. She finally found the source of the burning tobacco that she had followed: a still smoking pipe abandoned on the seat. As much as it gave her pride to see visual proof of her tracking skills, Blake was more interested in a small case that was left as well. Hoping against hope, Blake sheathed her sword before taking the case and opening it up to see what it contained.

It was the artifact. Her chest now swelling with pride, Blake stepped out of the carriage with her prize.

That was it then. Once she returned to present the proof of a successful mission, she would be accepted with open arms into her clan. She would become a full-fledged ninja and her mask hid the smile that was spreading across her face at the knowledge very well.

It also hid how quickly it vanished as Blake suddenly jerked her head up and leaped to the side. She wasn't quite fast enough as one of the sharp ends of the flying shuriken cut through the cloth over her left cheek and the flesh beneath before _thudding_ into the wood of the carriage along with two others.

"It looks like it's just you and me, Blakey- _chan_."

_**"…What?"** _

Aware of the warm trickle of blood that slid down her cheek to her chin, Blake looked up to find her. With the moon hovering above and her position on the ground she easily spotted the silhouette that stood high up in the tree. Eyes narrowing, Blake pulled her now torn mask from her face. "You."

The intruder dropped down from the tree, landing in a crouch. Although the moonlight was no longer at her back, she was now within the vicinity of the still-burning lanterns so that Blake could see her with the help of the light they casted. It was within that illumination that the long, golden hair of the intruder shone and with how her body was bent over, resting on one hand and one knee, head bowed, Blake could see the rather bountiful chest that she knew she was purposely showing off in her own black, tight-fitting uniform.

_**A snort.** _

The intruder lifted her head, exposing violet eyes that met Blake's amber ones. Although the latter were narrowed and aggressive, the former were wide and playful. While she did possess a mask of her own, the other woman kept it lowered to expose a smile that expressed the same feeling displayed in her gaze.

"It was your clan," Blake spoke. "You were the ones that tried to take…" She forced the small case that held the artifact into the thigh holster that had once held her crossbow.

"Oh I know nothing about that!" Hopping to her feet, the blonde stretched her arms high above her before settling them behind her head, her stance relaxed and, to Blake, highly unprofessional. "You know how I work, Blakey-chan: I just do what I'm told. The details are just so unnecessary. I was just told that there was a certain item of value that might've been rather important to a certain ninja clan. The idea of snatching it up before they did just sounded like too much fun."

"You're a little late since I already have it. I guess this means that you should just go on back to your masters and tell them you missed out."

Eyebrows jolting up, the other ninja's smile turned into a wide grin. "Is that a joke?" Letting out a short laugh, the blonde shot a fist towards the sky. "I knew you had it in you, Blakey!"

Blake didn't bother with a response. A twitch of her fingers at her side was the only sign of what Blake was thinking: taking stock of her own armaments, what she had left that she could use…

Despite the other ninja's playful attitude, not once did those violet eyes stray from Blake and they briefly flicked towards those twitching fingers. Lowering her fist, the blonde sighed, her smile briefly vanishing…only to return again along with a pair of sai that slipped into her palms-

_**"Wait, wait, wait."** _

Lowering her fist, the blonde sighed, her smile briefly vanishing…only to return again when her other fist came around and she smacked the knuckles of both of them together. Beneath the heavy cloths that were wrapped around her hands came the _clang_ of iron striking iron: metal gauntlets.

"I wasn't late," the blonde continued. Spreading her legs, the ninja placed a hand on her left thigh as she lunged towards that direction, then did the same except to the right as she stretched the muscles in her calves. The playful smile turned coy while she waggled her eyebrows towards Blake who remained unmoved. "In fact, I've been waiting for you. You know how I _love_ to watch you work but now I think it's time for a more hands-on approach if you know what I me-"

In the blink of an eye, Blake was face-to-face with the blonde, already drawing her sword from its sheath as she sought to cut her head off.

It was stopped a good foot away, the space protectively covered by a gauntlet that halted her blade.

"Oh-ho!" The blonde smacked her lips, seemingly unnerved by the shaking of her right arm as it fought to remain in place against a force that sought to bring that sharpened steel through her neck. "A bit hasty are we? I guess it's true what they say about the quiet ones."

Blake took a step back, taking her blade with her, but then sprung forward again to try and stab into her opponent's chest. All the blonde had to do was move that right gauntlet in front of her and slap the weapon aside. The amber-eyed ninja just used the momentum to spin and jump to try a downward cut from above.

With the protection of the iron, the blonde reached up and grabbed Blake's sword by the blade with her left hand. The fingers of her right curled into a fist that jabbed solidly into Blake's stomach. The breath came out of her in a rush, momentarily stunning her.

The blonde used the second of time to turn her attention to the sword she still held. Pulling her left hand down, her right came up in an uppercut that snapped the thin blade in two.

Blake had recovered by then and she took the destruction of her weapon in stride. Although she was now missing half a weapon, the other half was still dangerous. She slashed vertically with that jagged end of that half high, then reversed her grip and slashed again, this time low.

Her opponent deftly avoided each one but only barely, first leaning backwards and then forward, sucking in her middle. The ruined sword managed to cut across the cloth that covered her chest, exposing a line of cleavage, before it came back and cut a line to her navel. It was only cloth that Blake tore, nothing more.

When she tried for a third pass, the blonde snatched her wrist, halting her momentum before driving another metal-covered fist into her ribs. One headbutt later and Blake dropped her broken sword, forced to be driven back when her opponent let her after releasing her grip on her wrist.

An arm curled around her middle, Blake took several steps back but the other ninja didn't seem to be in any rush to continue. In fact, the young woman seemed more interested in the slits that had been sliced into her uniform. Bringing a hand to each cut, she tilted her head as she inspected them. When she was done she pulled her fingers away but, strangely, Blake caught the sound of cloth tearing.

Suspicious, she looked at those cuts again to find that they had been ripped open a tad more, exposing a bit more skin.

"Like what you see?" the blonde asked, again waggling her eyebrows.

_**"Heh!"** _

Again Blake made no response to those advances. Instead, she grabbed the violet sash around her waist and pulled it off.

The blonde's brows shot up, a delighted smile appearing. "Ooooh!" A brief second later those brows lowered and the smile became a bit uneasy. "Ooooh…"

The sash had not been decorative. Having been wound tight several times around her, it had been strictly used to keep the chain beneath from rustling. Taking that chain in hand, Blake unrolled it to reveal that at each end of it was a different item attached to it. On one end of the chain was a round, iron weight. At the other end was a deadly-looking sickle.

Unable to help herself, a small grin sprouted on Blake's face as both her hands gripped the middle of the chain. To be fair, how she used the kusarigama wasn't how one properly used it but Blake had decided to refine the technique. For this opponent, she was going to take an extra delight in it.

Reestablishing her role as the attacker, Blake swung both ends of the chain. The heavy weight and sickle spun in the air, creating a whirlwind of motion as Blake spun and twirled, the chain dancing all around her.

The weighted and bladed ends of were brought to bear on the blonde. She quickly realized that attempting to block one end of the chain would just leave her exposed to the other which forced her to dodge the whole time. Jumping back, the weight slammed into the ground at her feet. Before she could even act, the sickle was swinging towards her head, forcing her to duck. By then the weight came back, threatening to either shatter or wrap the iron links around her ankle if she hadn't lifted her foot in time.

As if seeing defeat, the ninja ran off the road and into the forest.

Internally, Blake cursed. It wasn't a retreat but a tactical repositioning. The only reason that Blake could perform as she did was because of the wide open space of the road. In the forest, she would be in danger of catching the chain on a tree limb or some other vegetation which would leave her open. Even though she understood it, Blake did not even hesitate to take off after her opponent. She had to make sure to finish this fight here and now unless she wanted to be ambushed later.

All this meant was that she would have to use the kusarigama as originally intended: to bind her opponent with the chain and weight before closing in to finish her off with the sickle. It still offered her the ability to engage at range which would allow her to overcome the blonde's enormous advantage at hand-to-hand. She just had to make sure that she didn't get too close until she disabled her.

The run was thankfully short. When she believed that she had put enough distance between them and the road, the blonde had stopped and waited patiently for Blake to catch up. When Blake approached, one hand holding the sickle, the other spinning the weighted end in small circles, the young woman's arms were crossed over her chest with that playful grin having returned.

"You've learned some new tricks, Blakey-chan," she spoke. She lifted her right arm. "Unfortunately for you, I've got some tricks of my own." She unwound the heavy cloth from around her arm.

It took Blake a while to process what was unveiled. With each revolution, her opponent unveiled more of the iron plates that made up her gauntlet. But that wasn't the trick.

The trick was the multiple barrels that had been strapped on the gauntlet around her forearm; six in total. And behind each gun barrel was a fuse with those six fuses coming together to form the main one. By the time Blake realized what she was looking at her enemy extended her right arm, pointing the barrels at her with the fuse now alight.

Her gaze looked to the barrels, then up at the main fuse that was now splitting. Six sparks slowly traveled down to the back of the gun barrels. With a start, Blake turned and ran.

It was not a simultaneous blast as she thought. Instead, the fuses must have been carefully measured so that one would go off every half-second with one _bang_ barely having time to end before a second _bang_ immediately followed. As Blake ran, bullets suddenly zipped by her, smacking into trees or flying off into the distance. She hit the ground as the remaining bullets were fired, ripping through the air and whatever vegetation was in their way.

After the firing of the sixth bullet, a silence descended upon the battlefield. A cloud of smoke was being dispersed, spreading the scent of gunpowder everywhere. Blake didn't move, not just yet. She used the brief reprieve to see if any of the bullets had possibly struck her. To her relief, none did.

There was the sound of coughing which the other ninja was trying to muffle. From where it came from, it didn't seem the blonde was making any move to try and look for Blake which was odd. With such a, admittedly, fear-inspiring surprise attack, she would think that her opponent would use to chance to capitalize on her advantage and catch her while she was unawares.

Again there was that cough and the smell of gunpowder continued to intrude within Blake's nostrils.

 _Wait, she couldn't have._ Realizing what was going on, Blake lifted her head enough to peek over the bushes to where she last saw her opponent. As expected, a thick cloud of smoke had formed with the firing of so many rounds. Still, with her eyesight, Blake could barely make out a silhouette who was swiping at the air with her hands as if to clear the smokescreen.

 _Did she_ blind _herself?_ This was her chance. Jumping to her feet, Blake ran straight at her. She held back on spinning the chain, wanting to keep such noise to a minimum to use this bit of camouflage to the fullest.

It seemed that she was right as her opponent didn't realize she was coming until she was practically right on top of her. Spinning the chain in her hand as she drew closer, Blake threw it. It caught one of the blonde's swinging arms, the weight at the end spinning around and bringing the chain with it to wrap around the limb.

That was when her opponent realized she was in trouble. Instinctively, the blonde pulled on her arm that was bound, hoping to use her strength to bring in her opponent while blindly throwing a punch to fight back with her free arm. Sadly for her, the chain was ten feet in length. Not only did she not draw Blake close enough to strike her, there was plenty of slack for Blake to flick her arm up and spin her hand. Another portion of her chain came up and wrapped around that arm too.

With both arms bound, the other ninja lashed out with a kick. Again, Blake turned the attack against her. Using the sickle, Blake actually hooked it beneath the extended leg, keeping it up and, stepping closer, Blake wound the chain around her opponent's neck and pulled.

She was caught. Upon tugging the chain, the blonde's arms were pulled up to her neck, trapping them there. With only a little amount of leverage, Blake knocked her to the ground where she quickly dropped down to straddle her. There was really only one thing left for her to do.

But when she raised the sickle to deliver the finishing blow, she hesitated. This close, she could now see that the blonde's eyes were watery, a pair of tears actually having slid down to stain her cheeks that had been darkened by the ignited gunpowder. Unable to use her hands, the blonde had to blink her eyes rapidly to try and clear her vision.

She soon realized the trouble she was in when she found Blake sitting upon her stomach with one hand holding tight to the chain that bound her arms while the other held the sickle high, ready to strike. Instead of reacting with fear, the now defeated ninja eyed the intimidating weapon, noted how it continued to remain high, and then looked to Blake. Her lips cracked into a small smile.

"You can't do it can you, Blakey-chan?" she questioned, her violet eyes knowing. "After all we've been through, you don't want to end it like this do you?"

She knew it to be true but, even so, Blake's golden orbs continued to radiate a clear warning of what she would do if the blonde fought back. After some hesitation, she lowered the sickle.

Seeing it as a sign that she was allowed to continue, she next spoke, "You could leave me here I suppose. Keep me all tied up and helpless so that you can get back to your clan. But poor me will have nowhere to go. They'll know of my failure, they'll probably figure out I told you all about this, and they will probably have me killed. I can't go back."

"Yang-chan," came the whispered name.

The blonde looked a bit startled to hear her own name or, more than likely, the honorific that was attached to it. Or it could be because Blake had leaned over so that her head was hovering over her own, her palms pressing against the ground on either side of Yang's head. Neither the chain nor the sickle was in hand but Yang made no attempt to free herself.

This close, the scent of gunpowder that clung to Yang's skin filled Blake's nostrils. Beneath that acrid smell though she could barely catch what was the sweet fragrance of lilies. Her right hand came unbidden to Yang's face where her index finger traced along her jaw, starting at her right ear.

"I have beaten you, Yang-chan." Blake's words continued to come in whispers. "I'm your conqueror. And thus, like any conqueror, I will take you as my possession."

_**"Pffffft!"** _

Yang remained silent, her violet eyes now wide with shock. Not a surprising reaction; from their first meeting to now, Blake had done little to reciprocate the advances that Yang had continually attempted to press against her. Considering the look on her face, it seemed that Blake had done a rather decent job in keeping the attraction that had developed as soon as she laid eyes on her hidden.

It was different here. With a night of fighting, adrenaline, blood, death, and now this position of dominance she now held on her opponent…it was all rather arousing.

_**"…Wait, what?"** _

"If I am to become your property…" Yang started slowly, the beginnings of her usual coy smile beginning to show. "…Then I believe you should mark me as your own."

"I want to examine my latest claim entirely first." Blake leaned down even further, her nose barely bumping into Yang's. "But if that's what you desire…"

She halted her trailing finger at Yang's chin where she took it in her grip and pulled her mouth to her own. Her tongue briefly played across Yang's lips then she kissed her, fully and deeply. Immediately the thrill that Blake had felt ever since she understood her position over Yang exploded inside of her, the hot emotions running from her loins to her brain and repeating. Beneath her, Yang crooned, the clinking of chains the only hint to her desire to grab the ninja's head and keep her lips pressed against hers. The need for air had them both separating when they became breathless.

"…So be it," Blake finally ended before leaning back down. Instead of meeting Yang's lips again, Blake gently tugged her head to the side, exposing her neck which her fangs bit into. It was not enough to break skin but she nonetheless heard Yang hiss and buck against her. Ignoring it, Blake suckled the trapped flesh between her teeth enough so that when she pulled back there were the clear sign of her teeth upon the reddened skin where she bit.

_**"'You are mine now…'"** _

"You are mine now," Blake spoke, placing a more tender kiss on the spot before her lips went to Yang's jaw. "My little treasure." Remembering where she had cut, her hands gripped at the two tears in Yang's uniform. She started to pull, the sound of cloth ripping deafening in the silent night that was only filled with their heavy breathing.

_**"'Now that I have laid my claim I shall unveil your…v-valuables…hehe..I shall see for myself the r-riches that you…that…you…hehe...hahaha-!'"** _

* * *

"Hahaha-!"

With her one hand currently occupied, Yang slapped her other over her mouth as she fell backwards, landing on the dorm room floor. She sealed her eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears of mirth while her body shook with barely-restrained laughter.

 _I can't take any more of this!_ Yang was practically shouting within her mind. She now stuck her hand in her mouth, biting down on the knuckles when it proved increasingly difficult to keep her laughter in check. Her face was already becoming wet with tears.

Soon the threat of either breaking her knuckles or cracking a tooth took the edge off of how absolutely _hysterical_ this all was. Once she felt she calmed down enough, she sat back up, her gaze returning to the bunk…and she nearly burst into another fit of giggles at what she saw.

Blake was practically _mewling_ in her sleep. With a flushed face, the faunus constantly shifted within her bed. Her grip was tight on her pillow which she nuzzled with surprising force considering her sleeping state, a hint of drool at her mouth.

 _Oh, this is too perfect!_ Ready to go into another fit as it was, Yang didn't dare attempt to continue reading the black book that was the cause for these hysterics.

As could be deduced, Yang had decided to take Nora's advice to heart. On any other day such a thing would be considered as outlandish in her mind but seeing the state of her girlfriend, Yang couldn't possibly make any argument with the results.

She had waited all night for Blake to return and get to sleep. Although she had been ready to try again another night – especially considering how late it was when Blake returned –, the fact that Weiss and Ruby were missing made this too much of a great opportunity to be put aside for another night. While she did wonder as to where, exactly, her sister and the heiress could possibly be at this time, Yang could hardly care right now.

Anyway, once she was sure that Blake had fallen asleep, Yang had gone to her partner's bookshelf to retrieve a book that would fit perfectly for her plan. And what was this diabolical plan to be? Why it was simple really: to satisfy this burning urge to see if Blake really, truly loved her.

Which was why, with Blake's copy of _Ninjas of Love_ and some rather excellent, on-the-spot verbal editing if Yang was allowed to toot her own horn, the brawler had decided to see how Blake felt if it was her and Yang that she fantasized in one of these smutty situations.

So essentially she was attempting to see if she could give Blake a wet dream by replacing the featured characters in her book with them.

…For some reason Yang remembered it sounding a lot better when she first thought it up.

She had been rather apprehensive when she started it as who knows what kind of punishment Blake would inflict upon her if she discovered what she was doing. When Yang first started reading and those cat ears turned towards the sound of her voice, she could swear that she nearly had a heart attack. Thankfully she managed to realize that that was just a natural reaction for animals and faunus. The currently hot and bothered Blake? Yeah, that was all Yang.

Yang tried to continue reading but as soon as she drifted to where she left off, she almost succumbed to another bout of laughter. Considering that her sides were aching so badly she decided to wait just a bit longer to sufficiently recover before starting again.

 _Actually, why am I not recording this?_ Yang thought to pull out her scroll but, belatedly, she remembered that she didn't have it. During a previous duel, some poor sod had thought to accidentally take a lock of hair off her precious head. The resulting firestorm not only saw Yang winning the duel with a resounding knock-out but her Aura had overloaded her scroll.

Fortunately, a quick search of the dorm and she found Ruby's scroll as no way was she going to use Blake's. At least with Ruby, Yang could convince her sister to hold onto the video and wait until she got a replacement scroll to send it to her.

_Actually, doesn't Ruby need her scroll to get into the do-?_

Another heated mewl reminded Yang she had more important things to worry about. Opening the scroll, Yang held the screen towards the sleeping Blake before hitting the record button. With the light of a candle she lit so that she could read without hurting her eyes, Yang was able to get a clear picture. Blake started to still but her breathing was still rather heavy, her face red, and while her eyes were open, they were half-lidded with-

Eyes. Open.

How Yang managed not to scream when she realized that two glittering gems were looking straight at her she had no idea. Especially when she became aware that, in her other hand, she was practically holding the book so that the title _Ninjas of Love_ was practically right in Blake's face. She fixed that by throwing both scroll and book over her shoulders; where they landed she had no idea but as long as it was far away she didn't care.

She had been too late though. During her moment of stunned inaction upon finding out that her girlfriend was awake, she had been aware of Blake's eyes moving from the book, to the scroll, and finally ending at her partner's face.

Silence stretched between the two of them as Blake continued to stare with half-lidded eyes while Yang's were wide with fear.

Wanting to try and salvage something, Yang decided to speak first, "Um, I know what that looked like and while you may come to some crazy ideas as to what, exactly, I was doing, I can tell you that there is a perfectly good explanation for this." Yang tried to appear confident but the feeling of a severe lack of blood at her face told her that she was absolutely terrified.

Blake didn't make any move at first and Yang wondered about the possibility that Blake was still half asleep and didn't realize what was going on. Maybe if she just went up to her bed, she could play this whole thing off as- no wait, Blake was moving.

Pushing her blanket off her body, the faunus sat up in her bed, wiping the drool from her mouth. She had broken eye contact with Yang and for some reason seemed to be staring at the hands that she had folded at her lap. Her breathing still sounded heavy and the flesh of her cheeks that Yang could see kept their red coloring.

"Um…" Even though she questioned the idea of drawing Blake's attention to her, Yang cautiously asked, "Blake?"

Slowly, the faunus turned to her. Her features rather blank, even if colored, she just stared at her partner.

"…You all right there?"

Those iridescent eyes continued to stare at her blankly. Soon, though, those eyes narrowed into slits and Blake shifted in her bed. Bringing her knees beneath her, Blake pressed her palms against the mattress in front of her. While she lowered her head and shoulders, her butt and knees were slowly raised.  Her cat ears were drawn back and lowered, a clear sign of hostility.  If she had a tail it'd probably be swishing menacingly right about now.  Not once did her gaze leave Yang…nor did it get any less threatening.

It dawned on Yang that the image that her girlfriend was presenting was not her usual, docile kitten but a fearsome lioness that was getting ready to pounce. She took an involuntary step back. "Blaaaaaake?"

She would never know why it came to her but at this moment Yang was reminded of one of the basic lessons that Professor Port had laid upon them during the first day of Grimm Studies. No matter at what dire straits you would find yourself in, a Huntsman or a Huntress never let an animal, especially one so grim as the Grimm - his joke, of course -, see any sign of retreat or fear. Only by facing it did a Huntress have any chance, no matter how minute, of survival.

The growl that came from the back of Blake's throat convinced Yang that Professor Port was crazy and whoever let him command a classroom was equally so.

The growing sense of panic forced her to act. Turning her back, Yang started to run. _Oh sh-!_

She didn't stand a chance. She perhaps only managed to go forward one step before Blake was on her in an instant, her girlfriend's limbs constricting around her body. While her arms curled around Yang's neck and chest, her legs entangled themselves within her own which forced the two of them to drop to the floor.

 _I am seriously starting to question the merits of this plan!_ Faced with the consequences that she had thought she would manage to avoid, Yang wondered what kind of degree of insanity convinced her to do this.

 _This is Nora's fault!_ she declared. Desperately she tried to break free but while she could be considered as the strongest of Team RWBY, Blake's grip was like a vice. It didn't help that she managed to pin one of Yang's arms which made attempts to break free all the more difficult. _I shouldn't have listened to her! Oh why oh why did I ever think thaaaaaaaoooowwww!_

Her thoughts ended in a panicked shriek when she felt Blake's mouth – which had been blowing a disturbingly amount of hot air at the nape of her neck – open so that she could sink her teeth into the side of her neck.

_She's biting me! Faunus instincts have overridden all rational thought! She's going to kill me!_

But instead of ripping into her flesh, Blake was suckling upon the skin that she had taken into her fangs. If Yang wasn't busy panicking, she would maybe find something oddly familiar about Blake's actions. Like something she had read in a book once. Five minutes ago.

It would've also allowed her to catch on to what her girlfriend did next. Having seemed content to simply pin her arms and legs so she wouldn't escape, Blake's hands were starting to explore along Yang's body. At first, Yang thought that it was in response to her struggles but she understood the truth soon enough.

"Nonono! No! Bad Blake! Stop it! Bl- _AKE!_ " The last word was interrupted by a shrill squeak when she felt a sudden squeeze at her chest. "DO NOT WANT!"

Funnily enough, although it was faunus ears that heard the words, they were oddly deaf to them as Blake paid no mind to her girlfriend's protests. Her hands continued to wander and her bite lessened to a gentle, loving nibble as she waited for her prey to submit.

Eventually Yang's struggles lessened. Soon the tables had turned and now it was the blonde who was mewling heatedly as the loving attentions started to get to her.

With her prey sufficiently subdued, Blake decided to continue where she had left off. Forget about tomorrow, she was going to show Yang just how willing and just how far she was ready to take their relationship now.


	3. White Is Yearning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Went into this with no idea as to what I was doing and expecting Weiss to have the weakest chapter. Did not end up like that at all.

_Losing strength…can't keep head up…_

Ruby supplied her thoughts with action, her shoulders slumping while her head lowered dangerously. She propped up her head with a palm while her elbow pressed against the table in an effort to support her waning strength. That was only one of the multitude of problems she was facing though.

_Can't focus…thoughts scattering…vision blurring…_

Those silver eyes became unfocused as everything in front of the sixteen-year-old blurred together. She held up her other hand in front of her mouth, hiding a yawn that accentuated yet another problem.

_Fatigue setting in…can't keep eyes open…_

Those increasingly heavy lids lowered until half of her eyes were hidden from view. Her chin started to slide along her palm, threatening to remove itself from its support, yet she made no move to shift her head for better positioning to keep it up.

So when it inevitably slipped, she allowed it to drop. The mass of paper and ink of what had be a spellbook in disguise that was weaving a sleeping spell upon her became her cushion as her forehead pressed against the soft surface. The arm that she had been using as a prop now lied lifeless next to her fallen form, the other hanging at her side.

As she lay in the midst of this latest bit of woe and misery, Ruby couldn't help but think of all the productive things that she could be doing right now. Like slaying Beowolves. Now _that_ was time well spent. And when it came to what had to be the one of the weakest specimens that the Grimm had to offer, a whole pack could be considered as a relaxing walk along the countryside.

Well to Ruby anyway because she was that awesome. Such a satisfying scenario started to play within her mind.

_She would, of course, take them from up high so that Crescent Rose would open up with her beautiful song. One eye down the scope, she would pick them off one-by-one as Ruby fell from the sky, the recoil slowing her descent to give her baby more time to work. With the added time for more shots, she would pull back the bolt to eject the spent shell casing while the magazine lifted up a new round for her to slam home when she pushed the bolt forward. Then she would fire again._

There came the _clicking_ of high heels that halted at the edge of the table.

_Upon landing, the pack would scatter in the face of the red-cloaked awesomeness that had decided to grace their presence. With death! Devolving into panic yelps and cries of terror, the Beowolves would attempt to escape from righteous retribution!_

_Not if_ she _had anything to say about it. While her shortness belied the strength that she possessed, she would nonetheless raise Crescent Rose in a ready position; handle held forward while the blade was pointed back. She worked the bolt again. This time she would use the recoil to propel herself onwards to give chase. There would be no escape!_

Two hands grabbed either side of the book that she was resting in and started to painfully press them around her head.

_Wait! Somehow a Beowolf got behind her! Instead of rolling over to die like it should, it reached out and grabbed her head in one large paw._

The book was attempting to crush her head as the pages and hard cover closed in around her.

_The Beowolf was trying to crush her head! Its claws dug into her scalp while the full force of its inhuman strength was brought to bear to shatter her skull._

Ow.

_Ow._

…Owowowowow _o-_

_-Wowowowowow! Remembering her beloved scythe, Ruby swung both her body and weapon around to try to cleave the Beowolf in two, all the while shouting, "Unhand me-!"_

"-Vile creature!" Wrenching her head out from the book, Ruby stood on her feet like a true Huntress! Then with her arms held behind her, she blindly swung them around to strike down the beast!

Weiss ducked under those flailing, _empty_ hands before standing straight so that she could swing her own weapon right into the side of her team leader's head.

"Gack!" Ruby only had a moment to register the title of the hard cover – _Wonderful World of Grimm_ – before stars exploded in front of her eyes when it impacted, the force spinning her around before she dropped. It only got worse when, upon falling, she struck the other side of her head with the table itself before hitting the floor. "Blargha!"

Oh hey she could see the Beowolves again. Just like in her fantasy the whole pack was running around in a panic in front of her eyes. Or…were they panicking? It was hard to tell right now; her head was hurting too much to make out such details.

It was why it took her a few, slow seconds to take note of the silhouette that loomed over her. It proved to be much more sinister and fear-inducing than a lowly pack of Beowolves.

"What did you say?" She could really growl like one though.

Ruby found that she was very good at imitating her fake Beowolves' panicked cries when she became fully aware of her current situation. "Weiss! No! I wasn't talking about you, I was talking about the Beowolves! I was fighting a whole pack and then this one got behind me and started crushing my head and it was really, really hurting so-ackers!"

" _The library will be cl-"_

She – and the announcement - was interrupted when Weiss grabbed the hood of her cloak and hauled her up to her feet.

"You! Sit!" Weiss not-so-gently forced her partner back into her seat. The _Wonderful World of Grimm_ slammed into the table in front of Ruby, getting her to nearly jump right out of her seat in fear if not for Weiss's grip, before the heiress flipped it open to some random page. "And study!"

" _-nutes."_

This was further enhanced by how the heiress, still using the grip she had behind Ruby's neck, to force her partner's face, also not-so-gently, into the pages of the book. Kind of like how Ruby was resting in them beforehand except not as comfortable.

Once Weiss removed her grip from her neck, Ruby spat out hasty assurances. "Yes! Study!" Clutching her textbook in a death grip, the leader of Team RWBY held her book to her face and practically buried her nose into the open pages. "Doing that right now! See? Studying!"

Then again one must question how effective it is to read with the book so close to her face. Couple that with how Ruby shook with so much fear and the continued pounding of her head…probably not very effective at all.

Thankfully it was enough to convince Weiss to turn around and walk away, allowing Ruby to breathe easy again.

 _"Please return all books to proper shelves or checkout,"_ the announcement finished, having lacked any kind of care throughout the entire scene. _"Have a nice day."_

* * *

 _That insufferable little red…_ Weiss sighed.

It was going to be one of _those_ days. The kind of day that'll find her being easily aggravated with every childish thing that her team leader did. It only took one blunder on Ruby's part and then it was like a domino effect; everything afterwards would only achieve to irritate her more and more.

For today Ruby had decided to go the extra mile by attempting to get out of a study session to _bake_ _cookies_ after Weiss had volunteered her time to help her. Yep, that was enough to keep the heiress in a foul mood for the rest of the day. Being called a vile creature certainly didn't help.

It was especially difficult because she was a Schnee. Perfection – not to mention _competence_ – was something that was held in high regard in her family. To lack in something was to open up an avenue to fail at something. And Schnees did not take kindly to failure. To fail was to lose face and when it came to backdoor business practices of rival companies coupled with the occasional terrorist threat to wipe the Schnee name from existence, the Schnee Dust Company was all about keeping face to present to the public as well as its enemies to let them know just who was the best in the business and would remain so.

Not for the first time did Weiss wonder how it was that she was finding herself more and more attracted to such a flawed individual known as Ruby Rose.

 _I just wanted a nice, quiet evening with just the two of us,_ she thought wistfully, her eyes scanning the bookshelves to locate any titles that may prove to be valuable sources of information for their Grimm Studies course. _We could study with each other, quiz one another, and…I don't know…talk?_

For all her skill in combat and singing coupled with her smarts, this was something that Weiss floundered in: this little thing called love. Then again, before her start at Beacon, social interactions in general were something that Weiss had been lacking in. But why was that ever necessary for the heiress? Especially when she could just use her money and her own talent to get what she needed on her own?

For example, why go to some subpar combat school like Signal or Sanctum? She didn't need to prove that she was Huntress material because she _knew_ she was. Such combat schools were only meant to weed out the inferiors and undesirables while the talented and the prodigies were allowed to move on to Beacon where the real training was. Instead of being taught by a combat instructor that must divide his attention to a hundred individuals, why not hire the best instructor to focus just on her? The same went to her academic studies and singing courses: all private and only the best paid for.

This included her resources. Her Dust? Only the SDC supplied the purest of it whether it was in crystal or powdered form. Her cherished Myrtenaster? The product of the latest technological concepts and strongest of alloys that relied on the same precious resource that her family mined every day. Combined with her glyphs and her own fighting style, it gave her an enormous edge that few could match. She had required no outside help.

And it worked didn't it? In the end it wasn't Beacon that accepted Weiss. Rather, it was Weiss who accepted Beacon's invitation. She didn't need anyone.

…Yet why was it that she has recently found herself constantly yearning for her partner's attention? Was that even love that she was feeling? Not some over exaggerated, misplaced sense of camaraderie that she was mistaking it with?

Weiss huffed in frustration. She had been trailing her index finger along the spines of one row of books and while her eyes were directed at the bold print of their titles, she was having a difficult time making them out. Actually it was only now that she realized that she had followed the row from one end of the shelf to the other and had been standing there for at least a minute with her hand outstretched like an idiot.

 _This is Yang's fault,_ the heiress concluded, stepping away from the shelf. _And Blake's._

The rise of these unfamiliar feelings coincided with the hook-up of one half of Team RWBY. While Weiss had initially thought of it as weird, she paid no extra mind to it. Whatever those two wanted to do was their business as long as it didn't affect the team's performance.

_Performance. Ha._

To be fair, the two of them at least had the courtesy to keep more intimate displays of affections to themselves. Accidents did happen though, most of them harmless. A walk through the school halls hand-in-hand and a quick kiss on the cheek when they were forced to part at differing classes were two such instances. Weiss would roll her eyes but never say or think anything else about it.

Further along into their relationship they started to get her thinking when they began to perform…bolder actions.

It had been a slip brought on by the fact that Weiss was too efficient for her own good. That is, she over-prepared for a test that had her leaving one of her supplementary courses earlier than expected. Again, being her efficient self (no this wasn't self-flattery, she was just saying it as it was), she had decided to stop at the dorm to get a head start on the latest batch of homework.

Too involved in their act, they must not have heard the click of the door unlocking. Weiss, on the other hand, had heard _them_ just as she was opening it. So instead of throwing the door open and walking right in she had eased it forward just enough so that she could peek inside. The sight had her face morphing into a ripe tomato while her heart rate went up by a hundred or so beats per second.

They must've only recently started because Weiss didn't think that Blake had been holding herself up like that for very long. With Yang having straddled her hips, Blake was forced to rely on the strength of her arms to raise her torso up from her bed and keep it there. That was all the work that was required of the faunus as Yang was doing the rest of it herself. The blonde's hands had cupped her face and helped guide her lips to her own which were now mashed together.

The two had their eyes closed, lost in this moment of passion which kept them from accidentally glancing over and spotting the heiress. It helped that their focus was on the movements of their lips and tongues as well.

Weiss had no idea why she remained rooted to where she was. As soon as she realized what she was looking at, she should've turned and left right then and there. She could've done it quietly or completely abandoned stealth to slam the door behind her. The latter would've let them know that someone was watching but the payoff would've been that they would learn to be more careful with their actions.

Yet she stayed where she was. When Blake got tired of holding herself up and dropped onto her back, Weiss had been there to see it. She had watched as Yang followed her down, their lips separating briefly before coming together again. She waited she had no idea how long until the need for oxygen had them pulling apart again.

Lilac and amber eyes opened to stare at one another with half-lidded affections. Yang was grinning, Blake smiling shyly. Both their faces were flushed. While Blake now used her arms to curl around her girlfriend's neck, Yang moved one of her own from the faunus's cheek to one of those exposed cat ears to gently stroke it.

It was after hearing Blake's pleased purring that Weiss slowly, quietly, closed the door before finally retreating.

She…wanted that. The heiress spent the next couple weeks wondering what about that scene bred this sense of longing. That…closeness she supposed. When her two teammates had separated and seemed content to stare at one another while held in each other's embrace…that was something she wanted to experience.

It took her much longer to realize that there was a potential candidate for her heart. She must've been there for a while now but it was only seeing Yang and Blake that Weiss became aware of this little niche that had been made in her heart for this person.

 _A totally outrageous one_ , her brain interjected. _Weiss Schnee cannot be falling in love with Ruby Rose._

The declaration had caused all-out war between her heart and mind as they battled one another.

 _She thought Pyrrha could control poles!_ her brain argued.

 _Yet that cute look of half-dazed awe while saying it,_ her heart parried.

_Picking her nose while in class!_

_How she lay there upon her bunk, asleep, with open textbooks and half-written notes scattered around her._

_Yet possessing such academic ineptitude!_

_But amazing strength and skill in combat._

_To show off!_

_To prove that she could be relied on as a leader. Perhaps relied on for more than that._

Back and forth they went, trading blows with one another. In theory her brain had the advantage because what it thought was what Weiss Schnee would believe in. _Should_ believe in. It was her intelligence that was half the reason she was as successful as she was now. Yet her heart possessed that one bit of power that allowed it to come out on top: to override her common sense.

Override it with such unbelievable images like the one with Ruby who was beneath the heiress, her arms around her neck while silver eyes were glazed with the same want that Weiss secretly wished to be at the receiving end of. Or maybe it would be Ruby who was on top, straddling her hips with that playful grin on her young face. Although a Schnee was to always maintain control…she didn't really mind the idea of giving temporary reign to her team leader. She trusted Ruby enough with her life in battle so surely she could trust her in love.

 _Ugh!_ Growling in frustration, Weiss tugged at her hair with one hand, pulling some strands out from her ponytail in the process. _Now I know I'm going crazy! I haven't even asked her out, nonetheless gone on a date, and already I'm thinking about_ that _! She's still sixteen!_

She wasn't sure if it was her heart or her brain that was stepping in to quell her worries. On the one hand her next thoughts were logical. On the other hand, they were still pro-relationship.

_And you expect to do that on the first date? That's something that takes time, you know._

Weiss blushed at her own rebuttal but was nonetheless relieved by the truth. Even if she was inexperienced, she recognized that what Yang and Blake had was something that had been built between the two of them during a few months into their relationship and not the first day. To establish such trust and love took time.

Did she want to spend the time and effort to create that kind of thing? With Ruby?

Well that _had_ been what she was trying to find out with this little study date. Unfortunately, while it was Ruby who was finding her way into her heart, it was also Ruby who was finding her way onto her nerves.

_That dolt. Can't even trust her to keep to a schedule._

Like that, infatuation has switched back to annoyance.

Returning to her previous task, Weiss decided to fulfill her promise to be the best teammate by making sure her irresponsible leader attained the knowledge to pass the make-up test that Professor Port had so kindly offered her for the weekend. Her mind uncluttered, the heiress swept through the row that she had previously searched. The titles were no longer gibberish and the heiress pulled two from the shelves - _Grimm Biology: How To Make It Dead_ and its second volume _Make It Dead But Better_ \- to bring to Ruby. While retrieving them she just happened to glance at her watch to check the time.

 _Might have to check these out,_ she decided. _We have little more than an hour left until the library closes._

She piled those two books and three others that she deemed adequate into her arms before making the trip back to where she left Ruby, still fuming at how difficult her team leader was. Either be someone she can love or someone she can hate, not both.

Her ire was alleviated somewhat upon returning to her teammate Although she half-expected to find Ruby having nodded off during her few minutes of absence, she was instead pleasantly surprised to find that red-cloaked dolt with her back straight and head bowed enough so that she could read her textbook. Those silver eyes flicked left and right as they read each line, pausing only to flip to the next page to continue reading.

Weiss allowed herself a bit of time to stand and admire her. In stark contrast to her usual childish expressions, the stern focus that now graced her face made the heiress remember why she had chosen to devote herself to supporting Ruby. Granted, this scene was probably made possible by the fear she had imbedded into the younger girl but Weiss could give a benefit of a doubt that Ruby was also doing it so that she wouldn't disappoint the heiress.

 _She works hard when it counts._ At this point Weiss wondered if her heart and brain had decided to go in cahoots. _She's aware of her responsibilities and when she realizes how much you are relying on her or trying to help her she does make the effort._

Weiss approached the table and she couldn't help the slight grimace when she saw Ruby's shoulders tense at the familiar clicking of her high heels. For a brief second her leader looked up at ice blue eyes before instantly returning her gaze to her book where it refused to stray even an inch from it again.

Regret was something that the heiress had hardly felt when growing up so it was tough to recognize that that was exactly what she was feeling. Reviewing those rare moments when she felt it before in the past, she concluded that ninety percent of the time it was a hasty word or action that she had directed at Ruby which she would feel sorry for later.

 _Dammit Ruby,_ Weiss internally cursed, blaming her for all these unfamiliar emotions.

She silently took a seat across from Ruby who insisted on her refusal to even glance at her. If anything, before the heiress's eyes, her teammate shrunk a bit more into herself to offer a smaller profile that would lessen the chance of somehow offending Weiss.

Ah, self-loathing. That was also a new one.

Yet despite it being abundantly clear as to who was at fault, Weiss found it impossible to do the one thing she knows that she should do: apologize. She could recognize when she was at fault but to admit it with an apology was to give off the impression that the infallible Weiss Schnee was capable of doing wrong. The image-conscious raising of her family forbade her from doing it.

When she had gotten over Blake's previous affiliation to the White Fang, Weiss hadn't apologized for her own hate-filled words that she directed at both the fanatical organization and the faunus people in general. She just waved the whole issue away by saying she didn't care while advising Blake to come to them with any problems next time. When she had been forced to understand how childish she had been acting to not being selected as leader of the team, she hadn't apologized to Ruby. She had just given her a cup of coffee and a declaration that she would excel at being the best teammate she ever had.

They weren't apologies but they worked. How was she possibly going to pull it off here?

The wordless air between Ruby and Weiss extended from seconds to minutes. Had the two not been concerned with how the other was feeling they might have noticed that, even for a library, it was unusually quiet. Silence was considered to be golden but those subtle noises of turning pages and students shuffling between shelves were strangely absent. Weiss didn't catch on but the severe lack of noise did manage to push her into making the first move.

Ruby visibly jerked when a pale hand grabbed her book as if expecting to be struck again. Weiss had kept the movement of her hand slow to try and prevent that but, as she had just seen, it was a futile effort.

"Let's have a little quiz," she offered once the book was in her possession.

The lack of snap in her tone seemed to convince Ruby to at least look at her which relieved the heiress somewhat. That wary look on her leader's face still caused her heart to twinge just a tad. She attempted to distract herself by coming up with questions.

"Death Stalkers," she finally started after a moment. "Nocturnal?"

"Yes," Ruby replied quickly.

The heiress nodded her head. That had been an easy one thus the best one to start with in order to draw Ruby out. "Right; they hunt and feed mostly at night. During the day…"

It took a moment for Ruby to realize that Weiss was waiting for her to continue. "Oh! Uh, during the day they look for shelter."

"Such as?"

"Underground holes. Caves too if they can find any that are large enough to fit them. If they have to they can dig out their own shelter. The only time they'll come out during the day is to drive out intruders as they are very territorial."

Weiss nodded, letting one corner of her mouth curve upwards. The last part she hadn't asked for; Ruby had supplied that herself. Good. Time to try something else then.

"Let's move on to Boarbatusks." Out of all the Grimm that they've encountered during their start at Beacon, Boarbatusks were the ones that they had known the least. Her first day of Grimm Studies happened to be marked with the first time Weiss had ever encountered one. "What's the difference between a male and female?"

Ruby frowned thoughtfully, her narrowed eyes directing themselves to a point on the table as she tried to remember. Weiss couldn't help but think that she looked rather cute. She prevented herself from going any farther with a reminder that she was trying to help Ruby study.

"Males have larger teeth and tusks," Ruby finally answered. "They're more solitary too. Females are bigger and have a bit more armor. Unlike males, they tend to stay in groups with their offspring."

Each correct answer caused that sense of pride to swell within Weiss's chest, gradually eclipsing her earlier irritation. Thinking it was time for a more complex question, she asked, "Tell me what those groups are called, how big they usually are, and what is usually recommended to dealing with them."

"Sounders and the average size of such groups are…" A brow furrowed in thought. "...Twenty? They can go even higher than that though." Weiss had been nodding with each correct answer and, emboldened, Ruby went on to the second part. "It's usually recommended that either a whole team or a very experienced Hunter should take on such groups. Although most of the sounder would be made up of Boarbatusks that have yet to reach adulthood, they're usually shepherded by as many as three full-sized females. While slaying a sounder would eliminate a large threat, their numbers can overwhelm even veterans if they're not careful."

Excellent; it seemed that Ruby really had been studying if she was able to answer so readily. At this rate her chances of passing the make-up test would be a cinch. To be sure, Weiss offered a couple more questions, her face and tone lacking any traces of her previous anger. A similar change occurred with Ruby as she became more confident. No longer trying to shrink away from Weiss, the leader straightened in her seat, her shoulders set to visibly display her growing confidence. A smile similar to what the heiress had soon sprouted upon her face.

"Alright." Satisfied with the results, Weiss leaned back in her seat. "I think that'll be it for now."

Even with her success Ruby still looked relieved at the idea of being done. Weiss was _almost_ sorry to dampen her mood with the stack of gathered books that she purposely slid between the two of them. That look of relief wilted as Ruby stared at the books, replaced by a growing sense of dread.

"We're going to check these out for you," the white-haired teen informed her, smile still present. "In the morning I'll skim through them, mark relevant chapters, and you can review them later in the afternoon."

"But it's just one make-up test," Ruby weakly argued, examining the books. Going by their obvious thickness she could safely assume that these books would be long. Really, really long. "Is this necessary?"

"It's not just _one_ make-up test, dolt." Crap, she let that one slip. How many times had she spoken that nickname to the point where it was practically a reflex when she felt even the slightest bit of exasperation towards Ruby? Seeing said leader wince at said nickname set Weiss on damage control in an attempt to maintain this comfortable air between them. "All this is going to help you not only for the rest of the school year but for the rest of your time at Beacon. You can't just swing your scythe around at every single problem to make them go away."

"Would sure make things easier…"

Weiss found herself at a crossroads: either to be further irritated by Ruby's lack of motivation or think of how absolutely adorable her pout was. The combination of the two allowed herself to keep her tone even at least. "Ruby, being a Huntress is hardly going to be easy."

"I know." Folding her hands on the surface of the table, Ruby planted her chin on top of them with a sigh. "I may act childish at times but I do understand that a Huntress needs to be more than powerful. After all, the Nevermore we killed during our initiation wasn't going to stand still for me; it required a plan."

 _A crazy one,_ Weiss remembered. The memory and how Ruby used the word 'we' generated a sense of fondness.

"It's like the heroes in the stories Yang used to read to me," Ruby continued. "Defeating the bad guy was nice and all but it wasn't always the point. Before they do that they inspire their allies while helping the downtrodden to get them to fight evil together. The hero can kill the warlord or the monster but it's those they lead that use the chance to make the world better."

Although Weiss questioned the use of fairy tales to back up her point, she couldn't find any fault in Ruby's logic as that was the entire point of Huntsmen and Huntresses after all. Despite the best efforts of the Grimm to return humanity to dust, it was the warriors who stood up against them who gave man the opportunity to establish their place in the world of Remnant by creating the four kingdoms. Today those warriors were still needed. Mankind had its four points of prosperity but surrounding them were the wild zones that remained within the dark folds of the Grimm.

Never would the Grimm be allowed to regain that territory to finish what they started. In order for innocent people to enjoy the peace and create a better future, they needed Hunters to guard them. It wasn't just the Schnee family's constant need for perfection that drove Weiss down this path but the immense responsibility that was required to travel it.

It was one of the reasons why Weiss could be so easily frustrated when Ruby forgets about that.

"Cookies would've been really nice though."

Such as now. Weiss rubbed at her temples, feeling a headache coming on. Was this internal struggle of constantly shifting moods affecting her health? "And just how would cookies help you as a Huntress?"

"Well they taste good," Ruby replied. Seemingly ignoring her partner's inner turmoil, she directed a grin up at her.

 _Whyyy?_ Weiss silently despaired, hiding her face within her palms. _Things were going so well; not just here but my life too. Why send me this red-cloaked nymph to throw everything out of alignment? This…this…dunce!_

"That reminds me, do you like peppermint, Weiss?"

Wait, what? Put off by the question, Weiss kept the flesh of her palms in front of her eyes. Eventually she lowered them enough so that she could stare across to Ruby when she gave her hesitant answer. "…Yes."

For whatever reason that brightened Ruby right up as her grin turned into a wide smile. "Oh, good! I wasn't sure what you would like but I thought peppermint would work."

Weiss tilted her head at her smiling teammate, her expression one of puzzlement. At least she stopped her mental bemoaning over the cruelties that the world had decided to plague her with. Momentarily, anyway. "What I would…like?"

"I was trying to think of what kind of cookies to make for you!" Ruby explained cheerfully. "I personally love my chocolate chip but I thought I'd try something special. How do peppermint cookies with vanilla frosting sound?"

…That actually sounded really good. Vanilla frosting on cookies sounded dreadfully unhealthy but the heiress couldn't deny that she was intrigued by the prospect. She didn't just like peppermint; it was a favorite.

"Wait." Weiss raised a finger, her puzzled expression slowly morphing into one of understanding. "Were these the cookies that you were going to make with Yang?"

"Mhm!"

For the second time Weiss found herself torn. Being reminded of Ruby's attempts to ditch their study date should've rekindled the fire that had given Weiss the strength to drag Ruby throughout Beacon's entire campus less her sneaky leader tried to run. That also gave her a reason to be by Ruby's side for the entire day but that wasn't why Weiss did it…primarily, anyway.

Yet it wasn't the fires of rage that was being coaxed to burn again. Instead there was a small flame at her cheeks that warmed them. "Those really were going to be…for me?"

Ruby nodded her head enthusiastically, smile still wide. "Yep!"

Weiss wasn't stupid. She knew very well that Ruby was going to make those cookies to use as a bribe to keep whatever punishment that she would've administered light. With a future rife with business politics, Weiss was very familiar with both legitimate and illegitimate methods.

Except this wasn't a true example of such dealings held behind closed doors. Ruby wasn't some spy of a rival company or a sleazy stockholder looking to better line their pockets; she was Ruby Rose. Cookie bribe or not the enthusiasm, the wide smile, and those sparking silver eyes were enough to convince Weiss that Ruby was looking for nothing more than her own acceptance and happiness.

_Would I really find happiness if I accepted her?_

The silent question and Ruby's cheerful face had Weiss looking down, cheeks aflame, to where her hands were folded tightly together in her lap. Just like that time when she had stumbled upon Blake and Yang, her heart thudded rapidly within her chest as she wondered, truly wondered, what kind of future could be made by an heiress and a dunce.

Weiss looked up at Ruby, suddenly resolute. "Ruby-"

The lights went out.

"What the?"

"Ah!" Across the table, Ruby cried out in alarm. Despite the darkened library, the surrounding buildings and dormitories still possessed power and their distant lights granted a bit of illumination. Enough for Weiss to see her team leader launch herself from her seat, head whipping around while exclaiming, "What happened? What's going on?"

"Did we lose power?" Weiss wondered. Her first thought was to find a staff member to interrogate for information. Standing from her own seat, the heiress's search was calm and thorough unlike the panicked head-whipping of her partner.

That was when she noticed all the subtle hints that she missed before. Not only was the library dark, it was very quiet…and very empty.

"No…"

Ruby looked to Weiss. "What is it?"

"No _way_!"

"Weiss!"

Weiss was aware of Ruby falling in behind her as she marched towards the door but she didn't bother answering Ruby's question, mostly because the answer would probably have Weiss losing faith in the human race. Unfortunately, during her journey to the exit, Weiss took note of the continued lack of people with the desks and counters completely bare. There was no sign of either student or staff.

By the time Weiss got to the door she had already concluded what her hand discovered when it tried to pull the door open and failed.

"We're locked in."

Ruby blinked, looking at the handle that was held in Weiss's pale hand. "What?"

 _What indeed,_ Weiss though in disbelief. _How can this be?_ Anger started to slip into her thoughts. _Are you kidding me!? How can they lock us in? Shouldn't they have checked to make sure it was empty before closing?_

Wait, something was wrong. Weiss brought up her wrist so that she could read the watch that clearly stated that it was ten minutes past eight. "We should still have almost an hour left. The library closes at nine!"

"Um, Weiss?"

The small, hesitant tone in Ruby's voice had Weiss turning to face her partner who squirmed as soon as those ice blue eyes that were quickly filling with rage focused upon her. The leader of Team RWBY shrunk away from that angry look while she idly poked her two index fingers together.

"It's…Friday, Weiss," Ruby slowly informed her. "The library closes at eight."

Weiss wasn't sure what she should be angry about more; the fact that she had somehow forgotten or that it was Ruby who figured it out. One way or the other still led to an angry Weiss.

"They should've announced that they were closing!"

"…I think they did, Weiss."

Now that she was thinking about it, Weiss thought she remembered hearing the static-filled crackle of a voice coming over a loudspeaker. Had she somehow missed it?

"It doesn't matter!" Unable to help it, Weiss's voice became an angry shriek. "They should've still made sure the place was empty before locking the doors!" Her tone shrunk back down to bitter mutterings as she continued with, "Slackers! Just because the weekend's coming up is no excuse to skip out on even the most basic security measures! Beacon's screening process for competent help seems to be sorely lacking in certain areas." She was feeding her own rage to the point where she had stopped talking and was now grinding her teeth together, fists shaking at her sides.

 _Calm down, Weiss. It's not like we're really trapped in here._ Right. With those soothing words of her own common sense, Weiss forced herself to relax.

"Okay." She nodded her head as if to reassure herself. "It's okay. This is a momentary setback." She looked back to Ruby. "Just use your scroll to contact Beacon's offices. Better yet, send a message to Yang or Blake to find someone to get us out."

Ruby's worried look eased up upon seeing how Weiss managed to calm herself. Nodding her head in affirmative, the young leader dropped a hand to the pouch that hung from her belt. Usually the pouch would carry a spare magazine filled with large cartridges for her sniper scythe but during relaxing times such as these she would carry some of her school supplies in it like her scroll.

…Ooone problem.

Annoyed but feeling like all was still right in the world, Weiss waited patiently while Ruby searched the pouch for her scroll…only to witness her keep searching. The calm movements of her hand started to become frantic. The feeling of dread that Weiss felt seeping into her being was the same that became more prominent on Ruby's face.

"Don't tell me…"

Spurred on by the heiress's verbal disbelief, Ruby practically buried her head into the open pouch in a desperate attempt to see for herself what was becoming increasingly evident. Alas, in the end, Ruby forced both hand and head from the depths of her pouch to look at Weiss with defeat. "I don't have it."

" _What!?"_ Her rage came back full force. With all that has happened today and now this there was nothing to ease it. Completely ignoring how Ruby jumped at her sharp tone, Weiss closed the distance between the two so that she was glaring right into those silver eyes. "How do you not have it, you dolt? What kind of team leader loses her scroll?"

Ruby had leaned back in order to put some space between their heads in response to the sudden closeness. Usually the younger girl would roll over to Weiss's anger and accept what her idiocy brought on. However, it seemed like taking the heiress's abuse all day had finally gotten to Ruby. Or, as her next words would imply, she believed that she wasn't at fault.

Either way Weiss found herself leaning back both because of how Ruby had brought her head forward again and how angry _she_ looked.

"I lost it because of you!" Ruby snapped. "You kept dragging me around _all day_ , not even giving me a moment of rest! I barely had time to even change clothes when we got back to our dorm before you started dragging me to the library! It's probably still in the pocket of my uniform because you didn't give me a chance to get it!"

For once Weiss found herself to be the one struck into silence at the heated words of her partner. Not since the rocky start of their partnership in the Emerald Forest had Ruby dared to mince words with the heiress as she was doing this very moment.

There was one minor difference between past and the present: Weiss hadn't felt the hurt that she was currently feeling in the face of this girl. It was that along with Ruby's words that stunned her but not for long.

"It's not like you gave me a choice!" Weiss regained her bearings and resumed their match. Leaning forward, Weiss's forehead nearly touched Ruby's as they both glared at one another. "You tried to ditch me if I may so kindly remind you! What kind of teammate would I be if I continued to let my leader slack off?"

"Alright then, best teammate!" Ruby snapped. "Where's _your_ scroll?"

"I…!" Weiss faltered. She didn't have hers either. She remembered retrieving it from the pocket of her school uniform when she was changing and placing it on a desk in the dorm. She had thrown on her pale blue jacket…but didn't put the scroll in the pocket like she usually did. Getting to the library had been her sole goal.

Seeing her hesitation and able to deduce the cause, Ruby produced a mocking smile that Weiss found unpleasant. "Oh, not so perfect, are you?"

The hurt came back twofold. Weiss's only course of action was to overcome it by investing more into their argument. "Well excuse me for expecting my leader to actually be prepared for once!"

"How can I when you don't _stop telling me what to do!_?"

Weiss opened her mouth, ready to retort...and stopped. The words reverberated within her, striking a chord that halted any plans for a response.

They were hauntingly familiar. How could they not be? On her knees in the classroom, weaponless, the angry snort of a Boarbatusk promising death or serious injury while the eyes of her classmates watched to see her fail, Weiss had whirled around on one of her few sources of morale support and shouted those same words towards her. Lo and behold a role reversal and hearing her own words thrown back at her – on purpose or not – derailed her.

Not being immediately hit by a retort gave Ruby time to understand what she had said…as well as see how it affected Weiss. Her tight lips loosened so that they could part in shock while her glare evaporated completely.

The regret that her leader displayed came too late. Weiss stepped back, conceding defeat. She looked away.

"Weiss…"

"You want me to leave you alone?" Weiss asked, refusing to look at her. "Fine, I'll leave you alone for the rest of the night. And maybe the night after and the night after that. How about we just agree to not speak to one another for a while?"

"Weiss, I'm sorry," Ruby spoke quietly. "I didn't mean it…"

"Go ahead and waste as much time as you want. I'm done wasting mine on you."

Weiss wasn't looking directly at Ruby but, out of the corner of her eye, she could see her partner visibly wither at those words. The heiress should've felt some sense of justification at that, of being able to strike one last blow upon her leader. She felt nothing of the sort; it was another emotion she was rarely accustomed to that she felt instead. Surprisingly enough, it made her want to get as far away from her as possible.

Even with such a desire Weiss found herself staying where she was. She didn't know why she did as she couldn't think of what else to do or say. What could she say? What could either of them say?

Yet it was Ruby who tried to do something. Weiss caught movement of Ruby's hand lifting in her direction. It only convinced Weiss to finally move, turning her back on her.

The heiress started walking just in time as Ruby's fingers barely touched the white strands that made up her ponytail before moving out of their reach entirely.

She didn't look back. Not just because she was afraid of what she would see but also because she was afraid to show what Ruby would see.

She heard a sniffle at her back.

A tight, invisible hold came around her throat that had Weiss attempting to loosen by swallowing hard. She was partially successful. It did nothing for the stabbing pain in her chest or the quivering of her lip.

 _So this is what happens when you fail at love?_ Weiss bitterly asked. _Dreadful thing. I want nothing to do with it._

It took her a bit more time to identify the emotion that she felt when she had said those words: shame.

* * *

The day started the same as it always did. When Weiss awoke, it was to the movements of her body.

She wasn't in a bed. For her it was not even necessary. When her eyes opened it was to see her feet hanging an inch from the ground. She examined the rest of herself. She was practically hunched over yet her arms were half-raised and bent at an angle.

It would be an uncomfortable position for anyone. For Weiss, comforts meant nothing to her which was no more apparent than her surroundings. She wasn't in a bed because there was none to be found. No drawer, no closet, nothing. Weiss was hanging within an empty room where the floor, walls, and ceiling were completely white.

The color made it easier to see the strings that were attached to her limbs.

The movements that had awoken her started again. Her arms and legs twitched but not of her own accord. They stretched; limbs straightening while the fingers and toes at the ends curled inwards and out as if to test to make sure that everything was working fine.

Weiss could see her body's motions but felt none of them. The bones that bent with the help of her joints, the flexing muscles, nothing. The movements were without feeling and without the commands from her brain. The only orders they obeyed were the ones that were transferred from the other ends of the strings.

When her body passed its physical examination, Weiss's bare feet were allowed to touch the floor while the rest of her straightened in a more comfortable, resolute position as was appropriate. The only thing that she was currently wearing was her nightgown. Not that Weiss had a care for modesty either; it was just something that was normally worn.

With the urgings of the strings, her body spun around so that Weiss could see the door that had been previously absent from her view. Back then it hadn't mattered but her hidden master demanded that she get on with her daily activities.

As for their identity, Weiss didn't know or care. Like everything else in her life the knowledge was not relevant to her existence. The only thing that did concern her was her ability to perform as the world decreed so that she could meet the expectations of the masses.

That was the only purpose that a puppet had. She could consider the strings as guides to her destiny.

The idea was much more beautiful than reality.

When her so-called guides commanded that she go through the door, it was to serve her purpose. Upon opening it a flash of light at the other side blinded her, forcing her to close her eyes which were the only parts of her body she maintained control of. When the intense illumination vanished and it no longer hurt to see, it was for Weiss to witness her life go on in front of her.

Her nightgown had disappeared, replaced with a school uniform. The room she now occupied was a classroom and she was seated within a desk. By the time she registered all this, the strings had her hands scribbling down on a piece of paper that she was filling up with a report. At least she _guessed_ that it was a report; the words she wrote were jumbled together which made it difficult to make out anything. Nonetheless, when the page was filled, Weiss placed an empty one on top of it before getting to work on writing on that one.

At random points the balls of jelly that were her eyes shifted within their sockets, attempting to give Weiss a better view of her surroundings. She was not alone in the classroom as there were other people who were seated in the surrounding desks, jotting down their own assignments.

Well, if you really wanted to call those white humanoid creatures that possessed no distinguishing features people. They didn't even have faces; just a white surface that was as blank as their papers no matter how many times they scribbled on them. The only thing that Weiss could figure out was their gender due to their uniforms as one half of the population wore skirts and blouses, the other half dress shirts and pants.

There was no teacher. There was only an empty desk where one should be sitting.

Her surroundings changed. There was no flash of light this time or anything at all really. When the pen turned into the hilt of a rapier it had happened instantaneously. If Weiss tried to remember any hints that should've acted as an early signal for the change of scenery she would find nothing.

Her body's quick, precise maneuvers were more like tests to see how far the strings could push her physically. The tip of her rapier thrust, slashed, and all but danced within the air as Weiss sparred against an invisible opponent. The rest of her body was forced under similar strains as her feet jumped forward to match the extension of her arm so that she could perform a perfectly-executed thrust. Then they stepped around one another so that Weiss could spin in a circle, bringing her blade with her as she slashed at air.

Her movements allowed her eyes to see that the classroom had changed into a hardwood training floor. Other than a rack of weaponry and wooden training dummies, it was nearly as empty as her room.

Her school uniform was switched out with the white training outfit consisting of gloves, a jacket, and breeches that were made out of light but strong materials to protect the wielder from cutting herself. The helmet that would usually be worn at her face was strangely absent.

When she spun around to perform another slash, the scenery changed again.

It was a combination of the classroom and the training room. Like the training room, Weiss stood upon a large, open space that was lightly decorated. Except instead training dummies and weapons there were speakers and lighting equipment.

Like the classroom, rows of white, faceless humanoids looked up towards her. Their lack of expressions made it difficult for Weiss to judge what they were thinking. The only thing she could make out on them were the assortment of dresses and suits that the crowd wore to, like the students, allow her to define their genders.

In stark contrast to her violent movements of her swordsmanship, Weiss stood calmly on the stage. For now the strings had no use for her arms or legs as it was the ones at her head that got to work. She may still have control of her eyes but her head tilted back and her mouth opened so that she could sing to the orders of the strings.

The melody was high, loud, and beautiful. Although the lyrics were as jumbled as the words on her report, the tone, pitch, and timbre combined was soothing to her own ears.

It was not the only thing that graced her hearing. Unlike the students there came some form of noise from her audience once Weiss had finished her song. The sound of clapping hinted to the sea of hands that slapped together to show their appreciation of the music. The strings made sure that Weiss responded accordingly, the heiress curtsying to her audience. It was only then that she could see the white dress and flared out skirt that she wore.

The strings lifted her from her curtsy but didn't let her straighten fully. Instead, Weiss found herself in that hunched over position that she awoken in with her arms bent and feet having been lifted an inch from the floor. She was back in the white room, dressed in her nightgown.

The cycle repeated itself over and over again. She would go through the door to enter the classroom to write another report before switching to the training room to perform more drills. At the end she would go to the stage to sing and then be sent back to that empty white room.

There were subtle changes with each repetition. When Weiss went to the classroom a second time, there was a stack of papers at the corner of her desk while she worked on a new report. The mark of a perfect score had been written on top of her previous assignment. In the training room, Weiss was put through more acrobatic maneuvers such as flips and twirls to go with her swordplay. At the stage, the melody shifted.

It only got worse with each repeat.

Keeping count proved difficult, especially as everything started to become a blur. The only point that Weiss had enough time to see the damage was when she was strung up in that white room.

Her hands were covered with blisters and cuts from the training room. Although the gloves were supposed to protect them, the stitching had started coming loose after what she assumed was the sixth repetition. A couple more had the protective leather falling apart, leaving her now bare hands to be punished as it wielded a sword that had a dulled blade and rusted handle. Her bruised feet were no better, possessing toes that were visibly broken.

Ink from a destroyed pen stained both her papers and hands. If the ink was causing her cuts to sting she didn't feel it.

Her throat…she couldn't see how bad it was. However, when next she stepped upon the stage and started singing, the melody was no longer beautiful. It was broken, hoarse…ugly. A throat that could make such horrible noise was best not to be seen.

Yet the results never changed. Perfect scores can still be made out on the ink-stained sheets, she completed the drills even if the blood that stained the floor should make it treacherous, and she continued to be applauded no matter how horrifying her voice became.

Somewhere in her consciousness she was aware that she was wasting away. Without mercy the strings continued to have her perform no matter how far her body deteriorated. It was only when she was truly broken would they stop because she could no longer entertain and amuse.

Then the broken puppet would be thrown away.

After another repetition, something other than blood and ink dripped upon the white floor of the empty room. Lacking any control of her body, the tears that stained her porcelain face and dripped from her chin was the only evidence to the inner turmoil that seeing her ravaged form caused. Along with it was the severe sense of helplessness at being unable to do anything to stop this. She had a destiny that the strings would continue to have her fulfill until she could no longer do so.

She briefly closed her eyes, another pair of tears being squeezed out, and opened them back up.

She was face-to-face with a wolf.

Despite the appearance of an intruder, the strings didn't react to it. Weiss did, her ice blue eyes widening in terror at the black-furred beast. Its mouth was open, exposing a red abyss for a maw lined with equally black teeth. Its red eyes were partially cut open, revealing silver ones that stared at Weiss.

Wait. Terrified yet confused, Weiss took another, more careful look.

It wasn't a wolf. The mask that the intruder wore was supposed to look like such a vicious creature but the one who wore it was human. A pale, human neck attached the masked head to a body that was clad in a black and red tuxedo. A slight swell at the chest and her own physique led Weiss to assume that she was a girl.

Although the mask was meant to be threatening, the human's body language said anything but. Her back bent so that she could examine the heiress's face, the girl's head was tilted curiously. The silver orbs flicked from left to right as it scanned her face before they focused off to the side. One pale hand reached up and held one of the strings, her thumb and two fingers rubbing experimentally.

Weiss could only watch. She was still scared but the girl's curiosity proved to be infectious.

The girl stared at the string for a while longer before turning her head to take in all the others. Finally she looked back at Weiss and she removed her hand from the string so that she could wrap her fingers around the heiress's neck.

Her terror flared with the hand at her throat but Weiss didn't feel it tighten in an effort to strangle her. The grip was loose, the fingertips gently massaging the skin. It was then that Weiss realized that she could actually feel them and the warmth that they transferred to her. No matter how much pain her body should be in, she had felt none of it even if the sight was tormenting enough. Actually, if she truly had feeling in her throat, shouldn't she feel the tortures it must be going through with her constant singing? It puzzled her that she couldn't.

A thumb went to Weiss's chin to tilt her head up. This way she could still see the girl even as she stood to her full height. Weiss couldn't help but note that the girl was probably as tall as she was if she wasn't currently hunched over.

It allowed her to know for certain that the scythe that the girl held off to the side in her other hand was taller than either of them. Weiss had a moment to recognize the crescent-shaped blade that was the signature aspect of such a weapon before the girl swung it right over her head to sever the strings.

Weiss reacted as any other puppet that had its strings cut would: she fell. Without her supports to hold her up the heiress landed on her stomach, her face just happening to turn in a way that she had her cheek pressed against the floor. At first she could see nothing except for one of the bare walls of the room before the shoes of the girl came into view.

She crouched down low enough so that Weiss could see the wolf mask that tilted for a second time as she stared down at her. The enormous scythe was absent. She had her arms folded on top of her knees and seemed to be waiting for the heiress to do something. Weiss of course had no idea what that could be as, without her strings, she couldn't do anything.

So when the girl held out a hand towards the heiress she had no idea what she expected her to do. Weiss knew she couldn't so much as speak so she didn't bother to do anything, hoping that the girl would understand. She didn't. The hand stayed held out towards her and the girl didn't look as if she was going to take it back. How Weiss wished she could just tell her that she couldn't.

"I can't…"

She was very much surprised when she did just that.

Weiss's eyes widened considerably and she couldn't help the gasp that issued from her lips. Being able to gasp surprised her even further. It wasn't much of a leap for her to understand that gasping meant breathing and she was able to do that too. If she could do this…

The girl wiggled her fingers to draw Weiss towards the still-extended hand.

Weiss attempted to mimic the action and was shocked when she felt the digits of her right hand successfully do it. With growing confidence, Weiss moved her entire arm, dragging her hand along the floor. She dared to go further, slowly lifting it…

Her palm met the girl's and their fingers closed around each other. It was probably a misplaced concern to have but when their hands came together Weiss was worried about dirtying the girl's hand with blood and ink. Wonders would refuse to cease because, after looking at her hand, Weiss saw that the blood and ink had vanished along with the cuts and blisters.

The girl stood back up to her full height, pulling the heiress up with her. With her help and her growing control over her own body, Weiss followed suit. She used her free hand for added help to get her knees beneath her, then her feet, and once they were in place she was able to stand. On her own.

Weiss looked down at her feet. The bruises had vanished and the toes were no longer broken. Her form was pristine. She looked to the girl.

Any kind of facial expression was hidden by that wolf mask but Weiss swore that she saw a twinkle in those silver eyes.

"I…uh…" Irony: Weiss doesn't know what to say when she's able to do it on her own.

It was fortunate that the next part didn't require words. The girl took the heiress's free hand so that she held both of them; one in each. She directed the snow-haired girl's hands up and around her neck before she took the heiress about the waist with her own. She began a slow dance.

Weiss found herself following the girl's movements even if she wasn't sure why. There was no music and they certainly weren't dressed for such an occasion what with her nightgown and the girl's odd dress.

She decided that she didn't care. What she was doing now was of her own free will and that was enough for her. Resting her head on her savior's shoulder, Weiss gently squeezed her neck.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you, thank you."

This was perfect.

* * *

Weiss wasn't in bed when she awoke but she wasn't in the white room either; it was dark.

 _Right,_ Weiss thought once she could make out her surroundings. Or lack thereof in this case. _The lights are out._

When the heiress had given in to degrading herself by sleeping on the floor she had hoped that the weekend would've arrived next time she opened her eyes. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't just the library that was dark. A small raise of her head and a look out the window told her that the night still remained.

Considering she didn't have a bed she had to make do with what she had. The carpet was fine to lay on and her bolero jacket proved to work as a small blanket but she decided to make her own pillow by stacking a couple paperback novels. Unless she wanted to use hardcovers instead this was the best she had even if they were still a bit uncomfortable.

Weiss soon discovered that something had been added to her layers of improvised comforts. She still felt her jacket covering most of her torso but she didn't remember anything about the cloth blanket that was over not only the jacket but the rest of the heiress.

Lacking illumination – the lights of the nearby dormitories and other campus buildings had been extinguished at this point -, Weiss had to use her hands to examine the cloth. It was long and wide though that much she could guess with how easily it covered her. Holding it up to her face, she squint her eyes in an attempt to distinguish the color but found that she couldn't with it being so dark.

She didn't have to. As soon as she felt the distinct shape of a hood she knew exactly what this was.

Startled, Weiss quickly looked around to see if Ruby was near. The darkness made it difficult to spot details but the heiress could still make out tables, shelves, and the various books that had been left on them. To her distress, Weiss didn't spot anything that was even remotely human-shaped in her vicinity.

 _I have to find her._ The heiress couldn't explain this need that her heart forced on her. She wasn't even sure of what she should do when she found Ruby but it didn't matter; she had to find her.

Throwing the cloak to the side with every intention of retrieving it in a second, Weiss pushed herself up, taking her jacket with her before slipping her arms through the sleeves. She managed to fit one in before a _thump_ at her feet had the heiress pause. With one arm through a sleeve, the other not, Weiss knelt down and felt for whatever had fallen to the floor.

She located the item and seized it. When her fingertips touched the object, its hard but thin surface gave her an idea of what it was. She didn't believe it because she knew that there was no way she had it on her the whole time yet when it filled her palm and she could distinctly make out its rectangular shape it became harder to deny it. The final confirmation came when she used both her hands to pull it apart.

Weiss felt minor discomfort at her eyes as they adjusted to the weak illumination that shone into them. It only took a second and when the heiress could see clearly again she found herself looking at the screen of a scroll, glowing icons popping up to add more light. It was a scroll which could only have fallen from _her_ jacket when she had been putting it on.

That couldn't be. Weiss distinctly remembered leaving her scroll at her dorm. When she and Ruby had stopped by to change to their normal clothes, Weiss remembered putting her scroll on a nearby desk while changing out of her school uniform. Once she and Ruby were dressed they had walked out with Ruby going first while Weiss followed, closing the door behind them-

-and then stopping at the last second. Poking her head back inside, Weiss had seen her discarded scroll and grabbed it before catching up with Ruby.

That part of her memory had come unbidden from a location in her mind that must've been hidden until now. It came crystal clear to her yet Weiss looked at the scroll as if it couldn't possibly be real.

_I'm an idiot._

Weiss felt her jaw clench, teeth gritting as if seeking to bite down on something to help hold back the tide of emotions that had started to gather at the sight of that cloak. The insult that she directed at herself threatened to bring her mental dam to the breaking point to unleash the flood that she could easily drown in. It took immense effort but she eventually came out on top, barely holding herself together.

Reminding herself that she wanted to find her team leader, Weiss stood up to do just that. Once she slipped her other arm into her jacket and retrieved the cloak, she began looking for Ruby. The light from her scroll acted like a flashlight to allow Weiss to better navigate the library during her search. With it she was able to find her way back to where she and Ruby had been sitting earlier in the day. There were the books that Weiss had left piled on the table's surface but, to her distress, no Ruby.

This was a problem. If the scythe-wielder couldn't be found at such an obvious spot, Weiss would have to scour the entirety of Beacon's library – all _three floors_ – if she wanted to locate her. The library was massive and in the dark, even with her scroll, this was going to be difficult with the labyrinth made entirely of bookshelves.

If she wasn't solely focused on locating Ruby the thought might've came to Weiss that this is probably why the library's staff hadn't known they were still in the building before closing it.

For their study date they had mostly kept themselves to the ground floor and Weiss hoped that Ruby hadn't done something stupid like go up to another floor to find a place to sleep. Deciding that she should start back at the beginning, the heiress returned to her own spot and started searching out from there. If Ruby had found her and given her her cloak then surely she had to be on the same floor. Right?

It became apparent that this wasn't the case. Weiss searched the entirety of the Grimm section - which was one of the largest in the building considering the type of students who studied at Beacon - before moving on to the History and Science sections. There was no sign of Ruby in any of them.

Weiss happened to pass near the stairs that would lead up to the second floor when she was about to clear the rest of the current one. Taking a moment to examine them, Weiss felt her heart sink. Had Ruby really gone upstairs? Had she done it to get as far away from the heiress as possible?

 _I don't blame her._ Weiss sucked in a breath at such an awful thought yet the truth being that she meant it brought back that suffocating grip at her throat. It wasn't as tight as it had been when she turned her back on Ruby but as she continued to wonder where her leader was the continued misery had it gradually constricting further like a serpent.

Examining the stairs a second time, the heiress noticed something wrong. At the start of each set of stairs that would lead to a different floor there's supposed to be a gold pole at either side. Each of those poles would hold a flag that had Beacon Academy's crest – two axes that were crossed in front of a circular background with two wreaths flaring out – printed upon the gray cloth.

One of the flags, pole and all, was missing.

Ruby was near. Weiss didn't know for certain but she became increasingly confident the longer she thought about it. Strong as she was, Weiss didn't think that her leader would want to drag the pole behind her for longer than necessary. The heiress slowly spun in place, holding out her scroll as far as her arm would allow it so that its light could cover as much space as possible.

There came the glint of something shiny to the snow-haired girl's right. Weiss immediately went to it.

The light, as she suspected, had been reflected off the golden surface of the pole. The pole itself was resting on the floor right at the edge of a table while the flag attached to it had been pulled beneath the furniture. Weiss knelt down to look beneath the table, scroll held in front of her. She smiled at what she saw.

_Found you._

As she had given up her cloak, Ruby had apparently sought a replacement to act as a blanket. The gray cloth of the flag was big enough for the short girl to pull it around her body, leaving only her head bare. When the light of the scroll landed upon Ruby's face, it crinkled with visible discomfort. Despite that, Ruby didn't open her eyes.

Not wanting to wake her, Weiss pointed the scroll up so that it wasn't shining in her face though there was still enough illumination to keep her leader's face visible. Setting her scroll down on the floor next to Ruby, Weiss sat her bottom on the floor before shuffling over so that she too was under the table.

The plan that Weiss had come up with during her search was simple: find Ruby, contact a staff member or one of their teammates, and then wake her up once they came to release them. They would then go to their dorm, go to bed, and sleep. It was simple, easy, and Weiss could reassure herself that what happened today will be forgotten including whatever heartache had been bred here.

The only problem is that when Weiss instructed her hand to retrieve the scroll it chose not to obey her for one stupid reason: taking the scroll meant taking away the light that allowed the heiress to look upon Ruby's face. That same face that had returned to its peaceful expression with eyes closed and lips parted to allow air to pass between them as she breathed slow and deep. A few strands of black and red hair hung over Ruby's face which waved gently with each breath that she took.

Weiss had to admit that it was a pleasant view and could not blame her hand for disobeying her. The scroll's illumination wasn't much yet it gave Ruby's pale face a faint glow. Weiss felt a smile start to form…before it dropped along with her heart.

 _Oh,_ the heiress thought with building grief. _Oh, no._

There was something that marred Ruby's face. The pale skin that seemed to glow was tinged with patches of red, raw coloring that, while almost having faded away, were nonetheless visible. It made it easier for Weiss to see the lines and stains that traveled down the younger girl's face.

Not too long ago, Ruby had been crying.

The dam broke. Once Weiss remembered that sorrow-filled sniffle that had followed her retreat, the dam broke into a thousand pieces.

Her vision of Ruby started to blur and Weiss lifted a hand to her eyes just in time to catch the first droplets of tears that slipped from them. It became difficult to breathe, the heiress shakily inhaling and exhaling which seemed so forced. It had to be as her lungs worked to push air past this heavy, painful weight within her chest.

She tried to keep quiet. Removing her hand from her eyes to let the tears flow freely, Weiss placed it over her mouth to quiet her breathing that seemed to grow so loud with the effort she was now putting in to achieve such a basic function. Her audible, shaky breaths started to sound more like Weiss choking on her own anguish. Her shoulders shook to visibly display the struggle.

The tears kept falling, forcing Weiss to close her eyes in an attempt to slow the current. It didn't work as they pushed past beneath her lids no matter how hard she squeezed them shut.

She stayed like that for a full minute; hunched over and trying to contain the bulk of her sorrow within her shaking body. That, at least, she accomplished as Ruby continued to sleep on peacefully while Weiss nearly drowned within her torment.

When she felt confident enough, Weiss removed her hand from her mouth to it wipe at her cheeks in an attempt to dry them. Her breathing shook but it was no longer as audible. She sniffled but it was only on occasion. Her now bloodshot eyes gazed at her partner.

When she felt comfortable enough to speak she did. Starting with the one thing that she thought she couldn't do.

"I'm sorry," she whispered hoarsely. "I'm sorry, Ruby. Don't be mad at me anymore. I don't want you to be mad at me anymore."

The apology and those pitiful words were not something that belonged to Weiss Schnee. Not the cold, sophisticated, and pampered heiress to the most successful company created by her family. No, these words were coming from someone else.

They were coming from a little girl who hadn't been able to understand why her daddy was always angry or why family friends were going away.

The broken words were of a lost innocence when that little girl was forced to grow up too fast. When, to try and curb her father's rage, she had thrown herself at her studies and her training so that he could instead be proud of his daughter. No time for friends because they would just go away. No time for games because there was none to be had in politics and war.

Staring at a serene Ruby Rose who had no such problems, Weiss wondered if that was why she found herself falling in love with her. In Ruby she found that piece of her life that she had been forced to give up. A life of bunk beds, a happy family, sweets, games, and friendship.

Perhaps with Ruby her life could become whole.

Weiss found herself scooting forward and bending down. With all that happened and yet her leader continuing to dream, Weiss felt confident enough to bring a hand to her face, lift up those bangs, and place a ghost of a kiss on her forehead.

Ruby seemed as oblivious to the contact as she had been to everything else. When those lips touched her skin, she didn't even twitch.

 _I'm tired,_ Weiss silently declared. Whether it was the emotional exhaustion, the stress, the physical act of dragging Ruby around, or just seeing her partner so relaxed, Weiss decided to sleep now. She didn't feel like making the journey to their dorm because they were only going to go right to sleep when they got there. Why bother when she could just sleep here? Ruby already was and she didn't have the heart to wake her.

Besides, she didn't want anyone else to see her right now.

Instead of searching for replacement paperbacks, Weiss folded her jacket to use as a pillow. She decided to keep Ruby's cloak as a blanket; she gave it to her after all. Resting her head on her pillow and wrapping herself in the blanket, Weiss gave Ruby one last look.

"Sweet dreams, Ruby." She took her scroll and shut it off.

Weiss didn't remember seeing that small smile on Ruby's face that she spotted right before everything went dark.


	4. Red Like Roses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter pretty much proves that my brain is its own separate entity that thrives on lack of sleep and loads of caffeine. Celebrated the beginning of 2014 with this piece.

There were only a few occasions where Ruby would be able to find Weiss in an unguarded moment and she could count them all on one hand. It was during those moments when the young leader of Team RWBY felt confident enough to approach the heiress without that bit of apprehension coiling up within her stomach, waiting to strike in-time with an insult or name spoken out in annoyance by Weiss that would make her flinch or jump depending on its volume and vehemence.

One of those instances was when Weiss wasn't even conscious. Sleep demanded the abandonment of all thought and action from the individual so that their body and mind could be allowed to rest. It meant that the fencer had to relax to relieve that stiff back and determined set of her shoulders, breaking her image as the cold heiress to the Schnee Dust Company.

It was during such a time when Ruby could see Weiss as Weiss.

Those eyes that could transform into the frostiest of glares and freeze Ruby in her tracks were closed, their power dormant. Those lips that could curve into the most annoyed of scowls and unhappiest of frowns that could make Ruby's heart drop were straight and parted just enough to let the air pass between them.

It was amazing as to how much emotion those two parts of an individual's face could conjure up in response to their environment. It was only when they were at rest, when they relaxed with the oncoming of sleep, that a person would be able to see the true image of their owner.

And Ruby found Weiss Schnee to be a beautiful, if fragile, creature.

The most notable feature was her hair; pure white like the first snow of winter and smooth as silk. Usually when she was asleep, Weiss would remove her hair from its ponytail and let it drop down. The difference in length – from reaching her rear to extending below it – and the freedom it possessed made it look as if that hair sought to envelope the heiress in an embrace to match any normal blanket. While Yang may have the loosest and messiest of hair, Weiss had the longest and tamest.

Weiss still had her ponytail but the appearance of control that her tiara was meant to possess cracked with the strands that had become loose. With her resting on her side, those escaped strands fell over her face and form, tentatively attempting to at least caress if not embrace her.

With the scar Ruby felt that urge to do what the hair currently couldn't. The second most notable feature, the scar clashed harshly with Weiss' otherwise smooth, pale, and flawless skin. It didn't detract from her beauty - far from it. When Weiss was awake with her ice blue eyes open and narrowed, the heiress could maintain an appearance that matched well with the spirit of a Huntress that dwelled beneath her noble exterior.

When those icy orbs were closed you saw a completely different image. That was when her fragility became exposed and Ruby would find herself comparing Weiss to a wounded animal. For surely if you ever saw her with her defenses down then that crooked scar became more of a hint to how delicate the heiress truly was.

Living with Yang for so long, Ruby could understand that that jacket that Weiss wore could be an accessory to make her more imposing rather than used to flaunt her family's wealth with its expensive materials. For her elder sister, her brown jacket and puffy sleeves gave her a broader appearance to add to her tall height, making her more like the brawler that her buxom, curvy form belied.

For Weiss her jacket could be meant to cover her thin arms with its long sleeves while the high collar did the same for her frail neck. While Yang at least had muscles that were sufficiently toned, Weiss had none. Thus her jacket was meant to hide her visible weaknesses, not accentuate her strengths. The same could be said to her skirt which flared outwards and heeled boots; both meant to cloak her slender legs and short stature. With all this camouflage, no one would think to consider her waist as too slim.

Weiss had all this clothing but her need for sleep canceled out their effects. The bolero jacket had been placed over her body as a short blanket, leaving her thin arms exposed. The limbs were close to her chest, one dainty hand atop the other. The calves that were hidden in the material of her boots were bent and hidden, leaving behind her pale knees and thighs with the skirt that usually fell over them bunched up.

It was these vulnerabilities that became so out in the open that would force Ruby to brave through the icy blizzard of insults that Weiss would throw out at her and others to keep them away. As much as they stung, Ruby's natural curiosity and desire to connect with her partner and friend gave her the strength to keep going.

_"I am done wasting mine on you."_

…The ice went too deep that time. A sharp, frozen knife that drove into her and brought Ruby down.

The light of the nearby dorms and other campus buildings provided only minor illumination and Ruby's slowly blurring vision made it even more difficult to make out the sleeping heiress. Sniffling, the young leader raised an arm to wipe her sleeve across her face, clearing her eyes and nose and further staining her blouse.

She had cried. When Weiss had turned and left her without even glancing back, Ruby had taken a seat at a nearby table and folded her arms on top of the surface before burying her face into them to let out her sorrow.

Weiss wasn't fully to blame and Ruby knew it which made her cry even harder. She hit back. Instead of reaching out with an open palm for reconciliation she had curled her fingers over it and struck with her knuckles in retaliation. That shocked, hurt look on the heiress' face was proof that her blow had been unforgivably accurate. In a heated moment she had abandoned a slow, peaceful approach and resorted to a quick, damaging one.

She had lain there both on the table and in the snow, her emotions and the elements weighing her down to keep her in place. Instead of giving in to them, however, Ruby eventually lifted herself back up.

The knife had sunk deep that much was true, but it missed her heart. It had been close, it had been painful, but the wound would heal. Ruby Rose wasn't ready to give up yet.

With renewed strength and determination, Ruby had set off where Weiss had vanished, ready to apologize or do whatever it would take to make things right. What she found was the reason why she continued to reach out to Weiss no matter how impenetrable her exterior may seem.

 _I wish I could get her to be like this more often._ Sitting on the floor with her knees drawn up, Ruby admired the rarely defenseless fencer. _She always has to look so serious._

Weiss admitting to wanting bunk beds when she was a kid had not only relieved Ruby but gave her curiosity a sharp jab, starting this quest for knowledge. Bunk beds? What else did Weiss like or want that she would never admit to anyone other than her partner?

Combat skirts? That sounded so awesome and _cool_! Ruby never thought to call them that; she just liked the freedom of movement they provided. It made her happy to be paired with a partner who liked them too. What other similarities could the two share? What did Weiss like to mix in her coffee? Did she have a favorite kind of cookie?

Those nuggets of information were few and far between. Yang and Blake were much more social, more willing to share information about the small, fun things about themselves but not Weiss. For Weiss, it was about studying and being perfect at everything. It left Ruby with a very short list that she desperately wanted to expand. She was a team leader after all so what kind would she be if she didn't know her own partner?

It had its dangers and Ruby would get stung by an insult or whatever name Weiss would use against her in response to something that Ruby found fun but the heiress saw as a waste of time or immature. At the same time, Ruby could get as easily bored and frustrated with Weiss's focus on maintaining perfect grades.

The recent events were clear evidence of that. Ruby appreciated Weiss's help - she really did -, but was work all that their time at Beacon had to be about? Yang and Blake were willing to have fun when time allowed so why couldn't Weiss just let go of that need for perfection and relax?

Sometimes it would get to the point where Ruby would think that Weiss was only helping her so that she wouldn't make the heiress look bad. As far into the past as it was when Weiss had lashed out at her for being chosen as team leader, did the fencer wish to make up for not being team leader by controlling the official one? To turn her into a puppet leader that she could use to establish a dominion over the team?

It was a horrible thought and Ruby was ashamed for thinking of it. Even worse, she allowed that thinking to control her actions involving her striking back at Weiss when one lost scroll had tempers going off.

 _I don't want you to leave me alone,_ Ruby thought sadly. _I want us to keep talking. I want to learn more about you, Weiss. I want you to try those peppermint cookies. You said you liked peppermint._

It was that moment that they had that let Ruby know that Weiss cared. That, deep down, there was someone she would like to know more about and, perhaps, would turn out to be more similar to her than she could possibly imagine.

They had been smiling at each other. Even with all that studying, all those questions, Ruby had been overjoyed to see Weiss beaming with pride. The look hadn't been one of a jealous teammate but a friend who was glad to have helped her team leader. Seeing Weiss happy made her happy and that was all Ruby wanted and needed.

Their shifting conversation further supported that. They talked about their shared dream of becoming Huntresses and moved to something even simpler like cookies and flavors that Weiss enjoyed. In that moment Ruby had been able to draw out a Weiss who was willing to offer more of herself to her partner.

That was until Ruby had Weiss recoiling from her, bringing her icy walls crashing back down around her to keep Ruby out and to prevent her from hurting her anymore.

_I'm sorry, Weiss. That was mean of me. Can you forgive me? Let's go back to being friends, okay?_

Weiss didn't respond to Ruby's mental offerings of peace and the young leader knew it was stupid to expect her to. Any attempts to make up would have to occur when she was awake. As tempted as she was to try, Ruby held back the urge to wake her up to apologize to her.

 _She'll just get mad._ Ruby sighed. _And start yelling again. I'll have to wait until tomorrow._

Maybe not. Just as she was ready to get up and leave, Weiss shifted within her chosen spot on the floor. Her legs and arms curling closer to her body, Ruby was again reminded of the heiress' vulnerabilities when Weiss shivered.

As cool as skirts were and as pretty as her dress was, they worked rather poorly in keeping her warm. That short jacket was an inadequate substitute for a blanket. Ice Princess or not, cold was cold.

Ruby lifted her hands and undid the cross-shaped pins that fastened her cloak to her shoulders. Once freed, she pulled it off to place it over the heiress, being careful when tucking the ends around her so as not to wake her. Once finished, she scooted back to admire her handiwork.

With her legs bent as they were, it was easy for Ruby to completely swaddle the heiress with her cloak. The snow-white hair and her pale face were all that was left exposed.

It wasn't a full cup of coffee but Ruby hoped that this noble princess would accept this offering and the meaning behind it.

_I can help you just as you've helped me. You don't have to stand alone, Weiss. I want to be the best team leader that you'll ever have and that includes helping you too._

Even in the midst of sleep the heiress reacted to the contribution. Ruby witnessed two sections of her cloak bunching together as Weiss's hands gripped the cloth before seeking to draw it closer to her. That was the sole movement that the sleeping heiress allowed but it was enough to comfort Ruby.

_Wait._

Hesitantly, Ruby stretched out with her hand. Using her fingers she collected a couple of the loose strands of white hair, admiring how smooth even these few specimens felt against her skin until she eventually tucked them behind Weiss's ear.

 _There._ She drew her hand back. _Perfect._

As much as she wanted to lie next to Weiss and keep staring at this bit of perfection until sleep drew her in, Ruby decided that it was probably best if she gave the snow-haired girl some time to herself. Let her wake up on her own, get her bearings, see the gift, and hopefully decide to put these temporary grievances behind them.

 _Besides, I have to figure out what_ I'm _going to do for a blanket._ With that thought in mind, Ruby pushed herself back up to her feet and started her search for a proper replacement, leaving Weiss in peace.

Unlike Weiss though, Ruby stopped, looked back towards the sleeping heiress, and smiled.

* * *

"Lost within her eternal sleep yet unwilling to bury her as it would mean hiding her beauty from the world, she was instead placed in a glass coffin trimmed with gold in a clearing of the forest that had protected her from the evils of the Queen up until this point."

With her boots resting on the table, Ruby leaned further back in her chair, balancing on the back legs precariously as she read her selected book of fairy tales. She flipped to the next page.

"Together with the woodland creatures, the seven dwarves kept watch over her in an eternal vigil."

Out of all the ones that were read to her as a child, this story had to be her favorite. Within this particular tale, the fact that someone as sinister and evil as the Queen was allowed to reign supreme did little to diminish the good that remained in the world. No matter the person or their appearance – whether a skilled huntsman to seven miniscule dwarves -, when it came to protecting the life and purity of a beautiful princess they would willingly stand tall and thwart the plans of the Queen even if it meant endangering themselves. In this, even the smallest of forest mammals could understand the value of a single life.

Unfortunately, as was hinted, the efforts of the good may still not be enough to prevent tragedy. But tragedies were usually needed in order for miracles to be performed.

"After some time, a prince who had previously fallen in love with her learns of the princess's eternal sleep and visits her coffin. Saddened by her apparent death, he convinces the dwarves to open her coffin so that he may…"

Ruby trailed off and lowered her book. Beneath her hood her silver eyes shifted from the pages to scan the library. There was no one else here as she was the sole occupant. In fact, between the clear tables, the undisturbed shelves, and every other chair that was pushed in save for her own it could be safely deduced that no one else had so much as entered the library at any point in time since her arrival.

Yet something was disturbing Ruby's reading time. Releasing an exasperated breath, she closed her eyes. A frown tarnished her features.

"Just when I was getting to the best part," she mumbled to seemingly no one.

As if summoned by her words, the hulking beast crashed through the eastern wall of the library.

Like the rest of its kind, the monster's fur was colored to resemble the darkness that had given birth to it. The black color was broken up with the white protrusions that took the form of bony plates that shielded a body that was made purely of muscle and mass. At its back, those protrusions lengthened and thinned in order to construct pointed spikes that were several times the length of the two-foot long claws that tipped its paws.

Everything about this creature made it more fearsome than its smaller variant whether it be its size, fangs, claws, or anything that demonstrated the primal power that came from something this monstrous. That's why it had been given the designation of an Ursa _Major_.

The Ursa slouched into the library, its massive feet brushing aside the demolished stone that had moments ago been a solid wall. One knocked over bookshelf happened to be in its path, the wood splintering beneath the Ursa's weight as it advanced. The beast didn't even take note of the flimsy obstacle.

It was much more interested in the cloaked girl who watched it. The face, made all the more fierce with its bonelike mask and its red detailing, turned to focus those soulless eyes on Ruby.

Having settled her chair onto its four legs, Ruby had spun around so that she could lean forward against the back. Although her book was still in hand, the girl had her arms folded on top of the chair with her chin resting on them.

Beneath her hood she seemed to be examining the Ursa…and looking rather disappointed.

The shaking failed to make her reconsider the idea of being worried when the Ursa bounded forward, creating a destructive path towards its perceived prey as it knocked aside whatever got in its way. A normal Ursa standing on its hind legs was easily double Ruby's size. When this Ursa rose to its full height, it was easily triple hers. Upon reaching Ruby, the Ursa raised its right paw, the claws intending to cut _her_.

Ruby's hand came up, her palm facing out towards the Ursa.

With a noise akin to tires screeching on pavement, the Major _stopped_.

Girl and beast stared at each other, neither one moving. The Ursa remained in its awkward position; standing on hind legs with paw high yet refusing to come down to crush the frail human it easily towered over. The red pits that were its eyes stayed narrowed and fierce. The only noise it made was its heavy, labored breathing.

Ruby stayed within the shadow that so easily eclipsed her. In sharp contrast to the Ursa's fierce red ones, Ruby's silver pools continued to display disappointment.

All but one of the fingers of her extended hand lowered, giving the Ursa a clear signal: _wait one_.

"Uruuu?" the Ursa rumbled. The confusion in its barbaric speech spread to its tilted head, its hate-filled face forming into one of curiosity. It lowered its paw.

Wordlessly, Ruby stood up from her chair and walked off to the side. The stumped monster turned its head to track her until it was eventually forced to follow. Dropping back to all four legs, the Major trailed after her with a steady gait.

Ruby stopped when she reached one of the shelves that remained standing. Considering she had been the lone person in the library, she quickly saw the hole within the line of hard covers that she slid her own book into, sealing the breach.

Behind her came a _thud_ followed by a slight tremor. When she turned around it was to see an Ursa that appeared more like a dog waiting for its master; its backside planted firmly on the floor with its front paws keeping it steady. Its head remained tilted questionably.

With her hands on her hips, Ruby gave the Major a once-over. She leaned to the right, then to the left, craning her head around to look beyond its gigantic form. Seeing nothing else, her bored gaze again met the curious one.

"…You're it?" Ruby asked it. "Just one? Really?"

The Ursa blinked and produced an uncertain rumble from its throat.

Ruby threw up her hands. "I killed _two_ of you last time! Easily! He really thought that one is somehow going to get lucky enough and do me in? Seriously? I mean, look at you!"

The Major did just that. After looking down to examine its bear-like body – and how insignificant Ruby seemed to be in comparison -, it gave her a shrug.

One of those palms slapped against Ruby's forehead. "Okay, you were scary when I first saw you. I admit that. But after starting up a kill count and going home with a couple extra-large skins-"

The Ursa growled, offended.

"-you've just become…" Frowning, Ruby stroked her chin, trying to think of a proper designation. "You've become…oh! You're just a trash mob now!"

Such a powerful jaw became slack, exposing exceptionally sharp teeth that were bared in astonishment rather than challenge. The Ursa stared, open-mouthed and wide-eyed at this teenaged girl. Eventually it managed to close it…right before its shoulders became slumped and its head bowed lowly.

"Oh come on, don't be such a _cub_."

Those broad, muscled shoulders started to shake as this Ursa Major started to _whimper_.

"Oh, Dust…" Ruby groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Out of all the Majors I had to get…" Exhaling slowly, Ruby stepped forward to pat one of the furred limbs that were wider than her own torso.

"Hey. Hey, it's okay. Come on, cheer up. I mean you're an Ursa _Major_! That's something to be proud of right? I mean…" She spread her arms wide as if to take in its form. "You're so much bigger than the other stupid, regular Ursa! You require a bit more work to kill than the others!"

That seemed to calm it down. Lifting its lowered head up to look at the girl – which, really, required the head to remain lowered anyway – the Ursa rumbled with newfound optimism.

"There we go! That's a good Ursa! You're a good spawn of darkness! Yes you are!"

The Ursa stretched its lips to best imitate a rather toothy grin. That recession of its shoulders vanished.

"Tell you what," Ruby started again. She stepped back to give the two of them some space. "I'll let you start this one off. I've still got a few toys here and there that I haven't tried yet so you can be the lucky Major to be killed by these next ones first! That sound good?"

It nodded enthusiastically, boosting itself back to a proper standing position.

"Good!" Ruby extended her arms again but this time it was in challenge. So was that grin. "Come at me, Grimm!"

The Ursa roared in response, eliminating its toothy grin to properly bare its fangs as it resumed where it left off. Particularly the part where it had attempted to shred the cloaked girl with its claws.

They came around now, those natural weapons slashing at where Ruby stood, shredding her cloak - and only her cloak. There was no body, no sturdier flesh and bone, just the red cloth that was torn by the attack. Confused, the Ursa brought the article up to its face, inspecting the pieces that were left but finding no Ruby Rose within them.

Shots echoed from above. Bullets ripped through the cape, further reducing it to tatters during their flight that ended with them striking the Ursa's head. What slugs didn't bounce off the hardened mask over its skull buried into the hide at its neck.

Though striking at such a vital area, the tough skin and thick muscles prevented the bullets from inflicting deadly harm. The Major felt them but it was pain that it shook off with an annoyed growl. It looked up to where they came from.

Standing on top of the same bookshelf that she had retrieved and returned her novel to, Ruby stared down at the Ursa with risen brows.

 _Didn't think the .454 was going to be enough,_ she mused. _Ah well, would've been boring if I started off with the bigger one anyway._

She was referring to the large, silver pistol that she was pointing at the Grimm. With a barrel ten inches long and the slide that had been lengthened so its weight could assist with the recoil of the powerful rounds, the gun looked a bit oversized for the sixteen-year-old.

It wasn't just the weapon that was exposed. Lacking her cloak, Ruby's combat clothes were on full display. For this she was dressed in a rose red dress shirt and necktie, over both of which was a black continental suit and pants to keep up with her preference for the two colors. Thus it would seem rather odd that her hands were sheathed in gloves of white polyester fabric.

Snarling up at her, the Ursa Major didn't even hesitate to swipe at Ruby's perch, splintering wood and ripping paper as it knocked the shelf over.

Ruby was already running and jumping over the side, landing on the library floor. Bringing her right arm and the gun back up, Ruby fired off two more shots before another swing from the Ursa had her running.

The shots appeared as ineffective as the previous ones. While the first bounced off another piece of its protection, the second managed to score a hit at some unguarded flesh at the Ursa's humped back. The lack of reaction from the Grimm told Ruby that it might as well have been a mosquito bite in terms of damage.

With the Ursa giving chase, Ruby ran back towards the table where the monster had so rudely interrupted her previously. She jumped and slid on the wooden surface until she was at the other side. Then she turned, planting her foot on the edge of the furniture. Her right hand kept her silver pistol up and pointed at the approaching Major while her other one disappeared behind her back.

There came a weak pulse of light originating from the back of her left hand before Ruby felt the weight of a second weapon fill her palm.

She counted the beats, waiting for the Ursa to come a little closer…and then her leg kicked out, pushing the table and even a couple chairs towards the charging giant. She followed it up with a few more rounds from her pistol.

The Ursa ignored the bullets as easily as the rest although the approaching table had it slowing to better knock the obstruction away with another vicious slap.

Ruby brought her left arm from behind her, revealing a second pistol. An audible _click_ sounded as the slide came forward, chambering a round. Holding the gun in front of her face, Ruby placed one eye down the sights. Centering her aim, Ruby waited until front and rear sight became one before she pulled the trigger.

The results from this shot were much more devastating. Having been aiming at the paw that the Ursa had used to knock the table aside, the bullet hit it right in the center while it was still raised. A gaping wound blossomed as the bullet impacted and then went through, blood and bone splattering out the back along with the projectile.

 _That_ got a reaction. Howling with agony, the Ursa was forced to lean heavily on one side in order to keep the weight off of the wounded appendage. It looked to the foot-wide wound and then to Ruby. Its confusion was in plain sight.

Other than the black gunmetal construction, there seemed to be few discrepancies between this one and its silver counterpart; the ejector port on the left side to keep spent casings from obscuring Ruby's vision, the entire upper assembly _was_ the slide, and it was devoid of any contours on the side or frame except for the grip. So why did this pistol do so much more damage than the other?

Even if it was a beast, Ruby wasn't one to miss out on a chance to show off. Offering the Ursa a smirk, Ruby held the black gun forward to give it a better view.

"Pure silver Macedonian processed mercury ammunition," she started explaining, closing her eyes in bliss as the knowledge of the pistol's beautiful design came to her mind. "In Marvell's N.N.A.9 cartridges."

Oh how she _loved_ weapons. She brought the gun up to her face so that she could rub her cheek adoringly against the cool metal before continuing, "Thirty-nine centimeters long, weighing sixteen kilograms…"

Understanding nothing whatsoever, the Ursa growled as Ruby continued to gush. The pain of its injured appendage was angering it but it would make it difficult to rush the girl. That's when it happened to notice a knocked over chair nearby. Its uninjured paw enveloped it.

"…With thirteen millimeter armor piercing rounds: the Jac-"

The chair connected solidly with Ruby's head, whipping it back and cutting her off. Having taken a step back in order to compensate for the impact, the red-dressed girl remained standing where she was with back and head arched behind her. The chair landed off in the distance.

The two pistols were pointed down. Letting go of them entirely so that they clattered to the floor, Ruby brought her now freed hands to her face.

"Ooow…" Ruby whimpered pathetically, straightening. Tears gathering at the corners of her eyes and lips quivering, she nursed where she had been hit. After a sniffle, she added, "That hurt…"

A hacking noise directed her attention back to the Ursa to see it guffawing at her misfortune. Rolling onto its side, the Grimm laid there laughing, its ruined paw completely forgotten.

"That. Wasn't. _Funny!_ "

Ruby retrieved the black pistol from the floor and emphasized each word with a _bang_. Even after those three shots she continued to fire, pulling the trigger as fast as she could, seemingly unaffected of what had to be massive recoil that followed each shot. Eventually the slide locked back to expose an empty chamber: out of ammo.

The Ursa wasn't laughing anymore. It was still on its side but had become _very_ still. The skull mask that had held up for so long had shattered and its head had been blown apart.

"Phew." Feeling much better, Ruby picked up her silver gun. "That could've gone better. I got to test these out at least!"

She held up the two guns in front of her view to admire them and then casually tossed them over her shoulders. Instead of falling to the floor like one would expect, ripples appeared in the path of their descent. The pistols were sucked into them, disappearing into thin air as they were sent back to be stored in the vault of weaponry until their mistress would decide to use them again.

It didn't seem like it would be anytime soon. Wisps of smoke that trailed from the Ursa Major's body signaled its eventual disintegration and there were no other enemies in sight.

 _But the Ursa had to come from somewhere_ , Ruby assumed. _If I can figure out where it came from I can certainly find him…and her._ She looked to the giant hole in the library's wall that the Grimm made. _Hm…_

She wasn't quite sure how the Ursa Major managed to fit into the gate that she found upon stepping into an apparent hidden chamber of the library. Having been built into a stone platform complete with a stairway, the dark gray ring was, at most, seven meters in diameter. The Ursa must've had to have been shoved in there in order to get it to fit. As funny as the image was of a couple, smaller Ursa Minors attempting to push the Major through, Ruby kept her mind on business.

The gate was actually made up of two rings; an inner and an outer. The inner ring didn't so much have the glyphs engraved into it as they seemed to have been _built_ into the dark gray metal. There were thirty-nine groups of them in total, all equally spaced throughout the ring, and Ruby had a small understanding of what they meant.

At the outer ring were nine triangular chevrons illuminated with a red-orange glow. Each was pointed at one of the multiple groups of glyphs.

 _Coordinates have been punched in,_ Ruby observed. _Dialing process has been completed._ She looked to the center. _Wormhole successfully established. How very convenient._

Within the center of the two rings a blue, fluctuating event horizon bathed the black and red girl with its bright light. It almost looked as if water had converged and remained suspended within the gate.

It was a boundary in space-time leading into a wormhole that would transport Ruby to a specific point anywhere in the galaxy. The fact that all nine chevrons were being used instead of seven meant that this gate was specifically linked to another one. Where a traveler would end up on the other side is anyone's guess.

Fortunately, Ruby did know _who_ it would lead her to. _Here I come._

* * *

Ruby had to guess that the land had been verdant and alive a long time ago. Criminally small patches of green forestry hinted to the lushness that used to spread along earth that had become blackened and charred. Empty chasms and pits were all that remained of lakes and rivers that had either dried up or, if water remained, it had become brown and unhealthy; a sharp contrast to the once life-giving, crystal clearness it previously had.

The city had formerly been elegant and smooth. The descriptions were both meant for not only the construction but how - going by the hints of the ravaged land - it flowed with the natural world. The vegetation that was burnt and crushed alluded to how it would transition into beautiful buildings almost seamlessly. It was a very rare display of how the artificial world encroached upon the natural as much as necessary to make room for the products of civilized life to reach skyward while the forests were allowed to stretch and live all around them.

The buildings themselves did not take the shape of skyscrapers that stabbed upwards in a clear sign of dominance and control over the planet that they've conquered. Instead, they looked more like temples with gentle slopes. The flawless blue and gold metals used in their construction practically gleamed in the sunlight.

…Or at least they used to. They were cracked and pitted with scars and holes, destabilizing them. Part of the destruction could've been due to years of a lack of maintenance but Ruby could see how an outside force was equally responsible; something that smashed into and blown apart the structures. No longer standing tall and proud, they practically sagged, their supports weakening, and looked ready to collapse altogether to join with the debris that littered the roads.

At least that was what Ruby was calling the spaces between these structures. Any pavement or some other form of surface meant to bear the travels of other beings were gone, eaten up by nature which was consuming the abandoned city in its efforts to heal itself. Or maybe there had never been roads constructed.

Despite the desolation, Ruby knew that she wasn't alone. A tilt of her head or a lucky wandering of her vision allowed her to catch a dark shadow that moved from building to building, seemingly tracking her. It wasn't human; too big and too many legs. It wasn't alone either. Moving her head to the opposite direction of where she first spotted the movement, she managed to see another shadow zip by.

Like with the Ursa Major, she looked more bored than worried even if they were threats.

She was much more interested in what had to be the sole intact building within the center of the city: a massive, pyramidal structure that possessed a spire at each of its four corners. A flight of steep steps rose up towards a small platform extending at the base where…

"Well hello there, Red. Long time no see."

Ruby felt herself bristle in response to the name and that patronizing tone. Though she was standing at the bottom of the stairs and him at the top, she could both hear and see him easily to the point where she could make out the burning tip of the lit cigar held between his teeth.

Crossing her arms over her chest, trying to appear tough, Ruby responded, "Not long enough…uh…" Her image broke when she chewed on her lip, looking uncertain before she weakly finished, "Orange?"

 _Smooth,_ she chastised herself. She _really_ needed to work on her name-calling skills, especially if she was going to keep bumping into this guy. The evil chuckle overhead both shamed and irritated her.

Spitting out the cigar from his teeth, the orange-haired man known as Roman Torchwick crushed it under his boot as he started to pace along the platform, spinning his cane in a black-gloved hand. Those green eyes of his stared down at the small warrioress, displaying nothing but contempt and malice. His smile was just as twisted with cruelty.

"Have you taken in the sights?" Halting the spin, the man used the walking stick to gesture to the ruined city. He tipped his black bowler cap up to better take a look himself. "You wouldn't _believe_ the amount of people I've had to kill, the money I had to spend, and the information I had to steal in order to even begin finding this place! For being a former seat of a galaxy-spanning empire, people sure have forgotten about it."

Ruby's eyes silently tracked him while she responded, "I think there's a reason for that."

He scoffed. "What would that be? That the whole of the empire had become undone when one man had sought to use the power of darkness to quicken the expansion of his supremacy? To use the minions of chaos that struck fear in humanity's heart to bolster his armies instead?"

"Yeah…" Scratching the back of her head, Ruby surveyed the damage. "He kind of lost that bet."

"The results of narrow minds and the stupidity of his own people who were unable to see that the means can justify the ends. Especially when the means required so little."

"To be fair, I don't think many people like slavery and blood sacrifices."

Ruby's untroubled manner seemed to be doing what her insufficient prowess of name-calling couldn't. Roman had stopped pacing to fully turn to Ruby. The cane had similarly halted all movement, now clutched in two hands that were tightening around it. That smile was gone.

"As opposed to what?" he asked, all cheer – evil or not – having left his voice. "A civil war? The temporal storms that shrouded the entire empire because of the failed rituals? Countless colonies isolated with civil and technological advances becoming undone during the millennium of separation?"

Ruby pretended to give it thought, tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth. "Mmm…yep, gonna have to take that over a crazy man."

His brow twitched. "He was the Emperor!"

Ruby slid her tongue back to its home to better smirk at him. "Had a couple screws come too loose."

The hands that held his cane started to shake, putting increasing pressure on the thin object. "Someone of infallible intellect and grand visions."

The smirk stuck to her face, Ruby pointed a finger to the side of her own head before spinning it in small circles. "Coo-coo."

"ENOUGH!"

Ruby snickered. "Careful. I think you might break your stick." She was enjoying this far too much.

Though undoubtedly durable, Roman did seem to be attempting to snap the cane in two while he glared down at her. That was until he came to his senses, the man jerking when he realized what was going on. Recollecting himself, Roman planted his cane back into the ground while smoothing out his white suit.

"I almost let you get to me." That snide tone came back. "I don't know why. After all, I certainly can't do this part without you. If anything, that attitude shows that I have nothing to worry about."

A similar reversal happened with Ruby, her smirk vanishing while her silver orbs became hard. "I think you have plenty to worry about right now."

There came that chuckle again, influencing a shiver to crawl down Ruby's spine. Roman's mouth twisted cruelly. "I disagree." He pointed his cane to direct Ruby's attention to his right. "Look over here."

She didn't know how she missed it before. The only plausible explanation is that it hadn't been there until now for when Ruby turned to look she found a white throne that had miraculously appeared on the platform.

The throne – similar to the architecture of the rest of the city - was unnaturally smooth and seamless, looking as if it had been carved and shaped from one large piece of ivory. At the sides and the back were perfectly-sculpted slopes to form the armrests and the high back. Even with the sigils and runes that had been expertly chiseled into the surface, anyone who would attempt to sit in it would have to experience some difficulties in staying on without sliding off the fluid surface. There were no cushions or anything to allow proper friction to keep them in place.

Yet the girl who had been settled into it remained without difficulty. A girl pale of flesh and hair startling similar to the color of the throne. The strands flowed freely, allowed to drape over her form. Her eyes were closed, head lulled to the side…but the crooked scar that ran down her left one was still visible.

Ruby gasped, staring at the girl in shock. "Weiss!"

Roman took advantage of the distraction to turn his cane on Ruby and fire a blast from the deceiving weapon. The red flare whistled as it shot down the stairs, reminding Ruby of a firework before it slammed into her, launching her right off her feet to fly several meters back. She hit the ground hard.

The sight caused the suited man to laugh hysterically, doubling over while slapping his knee. "Again? Really? Are you ever going to _not_ fall for that?"

His sick glee was cut short when he barely managed to make out, "Don't need to."

Palms planted behind her, Ruby slowly hoisted her torso up, looking slightly winded but alive. Her clothing, unfortunately, did not go unscathed as a decently-sized hole had been made in her suit and dress shirt beneath it; the cloth having disintegrated upon coming in contact with the blast. However, instead of exposing skin – which probably would've been burnt and bleeding -, there was another layer of protection that had remained hidden instead.

It was already regenerating what had been lost. Small, silver, hexagonal tiles layered over themselves to reform the defense that was comparable to metal scales. It covered Ruby completely and fully shielded her body. Strangely, when the tiles finished, they blended together and took a form that appeared more like leather than metal. The metal-turned-leather armor stretched tight over her stomach to the point where it appeared as a protective silver skin.

"The Emperor's Vault," Roman sneered, watching Ruby stand. "A treasury of weapons that had been created by means long-since forgotten whether they be mechanical or magical in nature. Sealed within a space removed from reality, only the one who bears the Crest can summon them at their command."

After dusting herself off and inspecting the gap in her clothes, Ruby directed a cheeky smile up at Roman. She lifted her left hand, removed the glove, and flipped it around so that the back of it was presented. The white seal embedded into her skin – reminiscent to a snowflake – glowed brightly.

"And you were chosen by her; the princess who sought to repent for her family's so-called mistakes by binding herself to the White Throne. For a thousand years she remained seated. Kept alive, young, and beautiful by the ancient magic and enchantments that were placed on it, it was those same enchantments that allowed her to use her power to keep the realm of the Grimm separate from ours, this planet closed off and frozen in time, all so that they would not devour every living thing and plunge the entire galaxy into darkness. Only when humanity had sufficiently recovered would she awaken and select a knight to hand over the Crest and assist her in a renewed conflict.

"And she. Chose. _You._ "

"The power to summon and use whatever weapons I want?" Ruby spun her hand around so that she could admire the Crest. "Certainly sounds like something for me. But there was an addition to that that I treasure more." Her features softened, becoming wistful. "The day I got this power was the day I made a great friend."

Roman wasn't moved by those innocent words at all. The dark glare that he leveled down at the young teen and the curl of his lips said it all about his thoughts on it. "You're just a child who doesn't understand what she possesses. But it doesn't matter." He snapped his fingers.

The sigils and runes flared with sudden radiance; a myriad of colors that tinged the White Throne's pure surface with red, blue, violet, green and their differing shades. In extension, Weiss was similarly shrouded.

Two colors, on the other hand, _bound_ her. Ribbons of mixed orange-yellow light twisted and curled into intricate lines on the surface of the throne. Then, like serpents, they reached up and slid along Weiss' body, tattooing her arms and legs. Although their journey inevitably went beneath the gown she wore, the thin material did little to dampen their illumination that pierced through it as they similarly marked the rest of her body.

"I'm about to correct that mistake." Watching the display with sincere fascination and pride, Roman explained, "Manipulating the essences and shifting the matrices of the various enchantments took a lot of time and sacrifice. If they were still alive right now I would graciously thank the devotees of Weedon for theirs."

Ruby spotted a sign of their handiwork as she watched with an expression of horror. As the orange-yellow lines curved over Weiss' cheeks, she took note of a pair of symbols that revealed themselves on the high back of the throne over the princess' head. Unlike the bright lights of the runes, these two produced a dull, foreboding glimmer of blood red.

They had not been carefully carved into the ivory either. The reason for their color was because it _was_ blood that had been used to draw the pentagrams that stained its purity.

"What are you doing?" Ruby asked, able to sense the aura of menace that exuded from the symbols.

Roman tutted in her direction. "Did you not hear me the first time? I'm going to correct a mistake. The throne that enhanced her power will be used to transfer it to a more suitable person." Twisting back around to Ruby, he laid a hand on his chest. "To me." He extended that same hand and his index finger towards her. "Which I will use to take yours. With her magic and your weapons I will have the tools necessary to attain mastery over the entire galaxy and rule it how I see fit."

"Ha!" Regaining her cool, Ruby planted her fists against her hips, chest jutting out confidently. "As if I'd let you! This is just your typical scenario of where the hero stops the bad guy, rescues the princess, and saves the galaxy! Simple!"

The shadows that had been following her since her arrival in the city chose that moment to make themselves known. Bursting from their hiding spots, they sped towards Ruby, leaping over debris or just outright sprinting down the roads.

As they assembled in front of Ruby, cutting her off from the pyramid that housed her objectives, she was able to see the bone-white helmets, the black fur, and red eyes similar to the Ursa Major she had previously slain. That was all that really made them identical to the bear-like Grimm as these specimens were much tinier; their limbs and spiky growths miniscule in comparison. They attempted to compensate for their weaknesses with numbers as a dozen of them stood to challenge her.

Attempted was the key word. Inspecting the pack of Beowolves that challenged her, Ruby smirked. "See? Simple!"

"Maybe not as simple as-"

One of the Beowolves exploded into a pink mist, cutting Roman off.

The black and silver guns that Ruby wielded had looked laughably immense in her hands. This gun – if it can truly be called one – sought to encase her entire arm with how the purple casing swept above and below it. The grip was located in the center where Ruby's hand clutched it while the "barrel" consisted of a mass of silver metal jutting ahead with blue activation lights that served to join the top and bottom parts of the casing.

On top of the weapon were fourteen holes and in each one there protruded sharp, crystalline shards that jutted upwards. When Ruby squeezed the trigger, these glass quills were fed into the barrel and fired at high speeds, impaling another Beowolf.

When seven of these "needles" were stabbed into its chest they glowed pink, becoming brighter and brighter…and then detonated.

The rest of the pack stood stunned as a second of their brethren came apart, limbs flying in several directions. Blood and severed spikes sprayed and slapped into the surviving members. As soon as the pink mist that was all that was left behind dissipated, the Beowolves collectively turned to stare uneasily at the sixteen-year-old.

Ruby held out her free hand towards a ripple that formed in the air to her right. A second needle gun appeared from the depths of the disturbance and Ruby wrapped her fingers around the grip. Now holding two of them, one in each hand, Ruby pointed them both at the pack.

"Siiimple," she sang.

She fired.

The supposedly fearsome Grimm went into a panic in the face of the storm of pink shards that swept through their ranks. Scattering, seeking to avoid getting hit, they wound up quite alarmed upon witnessing those projectiles track them. Turning in the air, the needles homed in on them, piercing their poorly-exposed hides before they exploded.

It was a massacre. Even if the Beowolves managed to avoid enough needles to escape an explosive death, the individual ones that landed produced vast wounds and the microscopic shrapnel of the needles embedded into tissue.

Howling and yipping, the Beowolves finally retreated; most of the survivors limping or dragging themselves from the battlefield.

Pleased with her work, Ruby watched them disappear into the city and, she assumed, the forest that surrounded it. Casting her weapons aside, sending them back to the Vault, Ruby returned her hands to her hips, waiting until the last of the puny Grimm vanished from sight.

"Beowolves are definitely not the way to go," she chastised. "Overgrown puppies but not as cute." She turned back to the direction of Roman. "Now if you really want to show me you're serious, you'd have some cyborg ninjas ready or…"

The giant pincers _clacked_ threateningly, the multiple red eyes that dotted the humongous armored body focusing solely on Ruby. Mandibles clicked together, a golden stinger elevated while the eight black legs shifted its weight.

For once Ruby looked impressed. Lifting her chin up while leaning back enough to get a full view of the Death Stalker that challenged her, she nodded in approval. "This'll work. I haven't killed one of these yet."

As if offended by her laid-back attitude, the mandibles of the giant scorpion split apart, a hollow, ear-shattering screech echoing from between them. One of the pincers closed, forming into an armored battering ram that the Death Stalker swung towards Ruby.

Ducking under the pincer and feeling the wind rustle her hair with how close it came to hitting her, Ruby called on her mystical cache to arm her as she jumped back to get a few feet of extra distance. When she landed on her feet, leather straps magically appeared to wrap around her body. Starting at her soles the straps stretched up, crisscrossing over her ankles and knees before circling around her thighs. Another cross over her pelvis and then they came around her waist to form a belt.

While one pair of straps continued up her front, another two formed into another X at her back before they all came together over her chest and shoulders, completing the body harness. Beneath her shoulders were holsters from which Ruby drew out a pair of handgrips. Although they possessed a pair of triggers and levers, their shape looked more like sword hilts that were lacking blades.

Fortunately, the two metal containers that appeared and attached to the harness at her thighs each possessed six blades, giving her a total of twelve to choose from. Slamming the handgrips down and locking two in place, Ruby unsheathed them so that she was now wielding proper swords.

A pair of gas cylinders were also attached to the containers with tubes linking them to a device at the small of her back consisting of axles, a fan, and a bundle of iron wire that was stored inside. A cord at the bottom of each of the handgrips connected her weapons/control mechanisms to grappling hooks that were loaded and ready to fire from the belt at her waist.

By the time the Death Stalker struck again, Ruby was armed and ready for it. The raised tail of the creature tensed then stabbed downwards with its stinger. Ruby leapt to the side, letting the vicious tip stab into the ground rather than her. Before it had a chance to pull its tail back, Ruby slashed at it with one of her swords.

The exact method for achieving the incredibly sharp edge that each blade had had been lost in time. Although they probably couldn't pierce the armored carapace that covered most of the Death Stalker, that section of vulnerable black exoskeleton that connected the stinger to the rest of the tail was severed with ease, the blade barely pausing during the cut.

 _Super sharp,_ Ruby thought, straightening and noting the cracks that now plagued the blade from the blow. _And super fragile._ Unlocking the blade from the hilt, a flick of her wrist sent the damaged blade aside before she went to retrieve a replacement.

Fragile or not, they did the job as the Death Stalker screeched, skittering back and abandoning its removed stinger. Its many legs lifted it high in the air while its pincers clacked repeatedly to display its pain and fury.

All it was really doing was giving Ruby an opening. Turning her body towards the outraged monster, Ruby's index fingers squeezed the top triggers of the handgrips. With blasts of compressed gas the dual grappling hooks – trailing iron wires – were launched. Flying underneath the giant scorpion, the hooks continued on to stab into a boulder-sized piece of debris that rested behind and a little to the left of it.

Ruby's middle fingers pressed down on the bottom triggers.

The device at her back went to work, the axles spinning while a jet of the same compressed gas spun the fan. The result was Ruby flying forward with the help of the expended gas and the wires becoming taut before pulling her towards where the hooks were embedded. This led to her traveling beneath the Death Stalker where its unarmored belly was completely bare to her blades.

Ruby carved a line down the length of it before twisting in the air so that she could bring that sword and the other – complete with a fresh blade – towards the left four legs of the Grimm. The two back ones were cut in half.

She had already been pulled out from under the Death Stalker when it reacted to its latest injuries. Shrieking with further agony, it stumbled from side-to-side in an effort to balance itself with a couple less legs. It was forced to brace against one of the damaged temple-like structures off to the side of the road in order to remain upright.

As tormented as it was, the Death Stalker didn't notice the red targeting laser that was being painted on it until it happened to cross over a couple of its eyes, forcing them to squint with discomfort.

Ruby was hanging several stories up on the building that was across the Grimm with her grappling hooks. She returned the bladeless handgrips to her shoulder holsters, trading the swords for the laser cannon that she was resting on her shoulder. Using the targeting laser and zoom function of the optics as a guide, Ruby aimed at the Death Stalker's head.

_One…two…_

The cannon whined audibly as it cycled up, a beeping tone getting noticeably louder and increasing in pitch as Ruby counted off the seconds. It shook in her hands as the battery cells charged it, feeding power into the gathering ball of crimson energy at the end of the barrel. Ruby kept it steadily aimed and noted how the meter on the right side of the optics slowly filled.

… _Three._

The ball became a continuous beam that shot from the cannon and impacted against the head of the Death Stalker. What the swords wouldn't have been able to do the laser did with ease, vaporizing all of its eyes while the armored carapace came apart instantly. Intense thermal energy melted the weaker exoskeleton that had been under it.

 _Annnd that's one Death Stalker,_ Ruby boasted. The cannon vented steam, cooling down before she let it drop both from her shoulder and grip. _Wish I was keeping track of my kill count. Doesn't matter; time to defeat the bad guy._

Shifting her hanging body as best she could, Ruby looked to the platform. Sliding the handgrips back out of the holsters, Ruby used them to unhook from her perch, causing her to drop. Directing her waist towards the platform, she again fired off the grappling hooks.

Only her skill and all-around awesomeness allowed her to place the hooks so accurately into the floor at either side of Roman Torchwick. Having been focused on the smoking, half-melted Death Stalker, the man had seemingly forgotten about Ruby.

"Banzai!"

The embedded hooks and the cry overhead had Roman looking up in time for Ruby's booted feet to slam into his face with a _wham_!

Red: 1, Orange: 0. At least that was how Ruby saw the downed Roman and her standing triumphantly above him.

 _Bad guy beaten._ Mentally crossing that part off, Ruby turned to the next part of the list that every self-respecting hero was meant to follow. _Princess saving time!_

Weiss hadn't moved or even opened her eyes since Ruby saw her. Granted, a pack of scaredy-cat Beowolves and a super scorpion had kept her occupied but Ruby doubted that her white-haired partner had awoken at any point no matter how intense the recent explosions that Ruby proudly caused may've been.

Either way Weiss remained on her throne, bathed in a rainbow of color while the yellow-orange tattoos blazed on her skin. Her eyes stayed closed.

 _So should I prepare some kind of speech?_ Ruby thought to herself, kneeling down in front of this princess. _A declaration of loyalty? Or should I just go ahead and…?_ She placed her hands uncertainly on Weiss' shoulders, head leaning forward.

Ice blue eyes, tinged with yellow and orange, suddenly opened and stared into Ruby's silver ones.

"Oh!" Ruby jerked her head back but kept her hands on Weiss' shoulders. "Um…uh…yeah…" Chuckling nervously, she grinned sheepishly at Weiss. "Um…hi, Weiss! So…yeah! Glad to see you're awake!"

Well this certainly wasn't what Ruby imagined would happen but she wasn't going to worry too much on the details. Releasing Weiss, she stood back up on her feet. "Anyway, how about we get out of here?" She held out a hand towards her partner to help her up. "I mean the lightshow is kind of pretty but maybe you shouldn't stay on that throne any longer."

"Leave me alone."

Ruby blinked, her head tilting to one side. "Huh?"

Though she was conscious, Weiss seemed to refuse to straighten in her seat. Actually, her head remained off to the side too. Yet her eyes were completely focused on Ruby. The yellow-orange tint within them flashed with intensity that further enhanced the glare that she directed at the younger girl.

"You wanted me to leave you alone," she continued, frowning deeply. "I said I would leave you alone."

At first all that Ruby could do was stand there with her hand outstretched, looking stunned. Then the words hit her, forcing her eyes to go wide. Did she mean…?

She dropped her hand back to her side and the next words she spoke were soft, "Weiss…are you still mad? I…I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it, Weiss…"

The glare didn't lessen one bit. "I'd leave you alone for the rest of the night and the night after that and the night after that-"

"Stop!" Ruby brought her hands over her ears to block out those words, violently shaking her head in denial. "Stop it! I didn't mean any of that! Weiss, please!"

Having just moments ago been standing proudly like one of the heroes she read about, Ruby dropped to her knees in hopes that this lower position would somehow appease Weiss. She didn't want Weiss mad at her. She didn't want her to leave her alone.

Removing her hands from her ears, Ruby looked up beseechingly towards her partner. "Weiss, I'm sorry! It was my fault! I shouldn't have said that to you!"

Weiss continued to sit with a slouched form yet never had she seemed more frightening to Ruby than as she was right now. Ruby had always thought her usual frozen glares were the worst thing that could be sent her way, but with how those foreign colors mixed so horribly with her pretty blues and caused them to smolder proved her so very, very wrong. There was something so familiar and so _evil_ about them that terrified her.

Ruby felt her body and voice quake. "W-Weiss, I'm so sorry. Let's…l-let's get out of here, okay? I was going to make you peppermint cookies with vanilla frosting. You said you liked peppermint so let's…let's just go, okay? I'll make you some as soon as we get back, I promise. Because that's what friends do."

The silence stayed consistent. Swallowing hard Ruby tried, "W-we're friends, Weiss. Best friends. Do you forgive me?"

"I'm done wasting my time on you."

There was no hesitation. As soon as Ruby finished, the words were spoken with such callousness - with such indifference - that it gave them a clear-cut finality that completely shattered Ruby. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Weiss…that…you shouldn't say that. Friends don't say that, Weiss."

Her friend closed her eyes, shutting her out.

"Weiss!"

The yellow-orange tattoos flashed with a sudden brightness that stung Ruby's eyes, forcing her to close them. Just as quickly as it happened they dimmed and Ruby frantically looked back to where Weiss was sitting.

Ice. A solid block of ice had formed over the throne, freezing it and its occupant to keep them out of Ruby's reach. The sigils and runes had become inert, the rainbow gone. But those tattoos remained on the skin as marks of defilement that Ruby couldn't do anything about.

Ruby was on her feet in an instant. "Weiss!" She pounded her fists against the ice, tears rolling down her face. "WEISS!"

A hand touched her shoulder. "I believe the lady wants to be left alone."

Ruby turned around just in time for the cane to smash into her side. Beneath her clothing that silver leather hardened into metal, mitigating the damage. The force of the blow nonetheless knocked her aside, dropping her to the floor.

"Some friend you have there," Roman mocked the fallen Ruby, planting his stick in front of him to better lean on it. "Guess this is one fairy tale that won't be having a happy ending. Too bad, so sad."

With a cry of rage Ruby leapt to her feet, drawing the handgrips from the holsters and slamming blades into place before rushing at Roman.

Sliding one foot back, her opponent flipped the cane around to point the end up with both hands gripping right above the curved handle; holding it more like a sword. It may not possess a sharpened edge but the theory of it being made of a durable material proved to be a fact when a savage slash that Ruby hoped to slice through the improvised weapon and the stomach it guarded was instead dashed to pieces.

Literally. While the cane stood strong with only a negligible cut to show for the impact, the steel of Ruby's sword shattered into pieces. With little hesitation Ruby's thumb flicked the blade release, dumping the few inches of jagged metal that had been left behind and bringing her hilt back to mount another blade onto it.

She had stepped past him due to the momentum behind her attack and Roman used the opportunity to whip his cane around to strike Ruby across her back. Anticipating it, the girl brought her left hand and hilt over her shoulder so that the still-intact blade covered vertically down her back. Although cracks appeared when the cane connected, the weapon held.

Ruby had locked a new replacement into her other hilt. Unsheathing it from its container, she stepped backwards and spun in place, extending flawed and flawless blade out in a whirlwind of motion to cut Roman into ribbons. He barely slipped away, the sharp tips grazing the fabric of his suit.

"Get over here!" Ruby hollered. Ending her spin, she fired one of the grappling hooks, sending it flying out from its mount with the full intention of piercing a torso or limb before it would drag Roman back towards her and her blades.

With an agility and reaction time that his formal appearance contradicted, Roman tilted to the side, letting the hook fly by him before he snatched at the wire that followed it. He tugged hard, using it to pull Ruby towards _him_.

She wasn't expecting that and her surprise left her vulnerable to the curved handle of the cane that was driven into her chest. Letting go of the wire, Roman sent the heel of his palm to hit beneath Ruby's chin, lifting her off her feet.

For the third time Ruby found herself falling hard onto her back due to an attack that Roman had successfully landed on her. The humiliation of being repeatedly downed only fueled her anger, allowing her to ignore the pain from the blow. That and the sadistic chuckle that reached her ears.

"Aw, did I hit too hard?"

 _I'll get him!_ Ruby swore. _He's the reason for all of this! He's the villain that needs to be defeated in order to make everything right! I won't let him win!_

The leather straps around her body broke apart, releasing Ruby from the harness. Discarding her swords, Ruby planted her empty hands onto the floor above her head. Swinging her legs up and pushing out with her arms, Ruby sprung back to her feet.

"Give Weiss back!" she demanded and lunged towards Roman.

Her hands came up over her head to grasp the metal cylinder that materialized within them. At thirty centimeters in length, it could hardly be considered as a formidable weapon. That was until Ruby's thumb clicked the activation stud. With a _snap-hiss_ , a blue blade made of plasma sprang up from the emitter at the end to add a hundred and forty-five centimeters.

Roman didn't know what to make of this saber of light so he held up his cane in an attempt to defend himself. This time, however, it was his weapon that proved to be inferior as the focused plasma split the cane cleanly in two. With a yelp he stumbled back, dropping the pieces.

 _This is it!_ Ruby declared. Pressing her advantage, Ruby stabbed the tip of blue plasma towards a defenseless Roman. _He's mine!_

With an impact that shook her arms, the saber was blocked.

_What!?_

Just before the saber could run him through, Roman had extended his hand out as if to stop it with his bare palm. Such a strategy could only have ended with the blue bar of light burning a hole right at the center.

It would've too had it not been for the barrier that the man conjured up. At first Ruby was only able to stare, dumbfounded, at this wall of light that matched the color of the plasma of her weapon. No, not a wall. Not really. Although it certainly acted like one with how it prevented Ruby's strike from continuing on, it wasn't a completely solid obstruction.

She blinked as slow as the recognition that came when she realized that she was staring at a copy of the Crest that adorned her left hand. It was bigger, transparent, the coloration different, but the snowflake shape was the same.

 _This is Weiss's glyph. How…?_ A drawn out whistle had her refocusing on Roman who stood on the other side of the barrier.

"Well _that_ was close," he conceded, actually looking a bit rattled. "If that took a second longer you might very well have ended me right then and there."

Ruby stared blankly, unable to comprehend the clear evidence that was before her.

Roman took his time to examine the glyph, seasick green eyes running up and down it. They focused at the center where the tip of Ruby's weapon was still touching but unable to stab through. He grinned. "Bye."

He flexed his fingers. The glyph brightened.

Ruby was flung backwards, spinning end over end as she sailed over the edge of the platform, towards the stairs. She managed to clear one half of the flight before crashing and rolling down the other.

This was a nightmare.

It came to her as her body bounced on step after step. That leather armor she still wore turned to metal again, protecting everything except for her head which her arms flew up to cover. Tumbling off the last, Ruby came to a rest at the bottom of the stairs, sprawled and facedown.

Her blue-bladed weapon was gone. Whether it had been lost before or during her graceless descent she didn't know nor did she care as she finally understood whathappened.

That had been Weiss's glyph. It had been her _partner's_ power that Roman used to repulse both her attack and herself.

 _Weiss,_ she thought despairingly. _Against me._

She had been too slow, too late, and too _stupid_ to stop it. Just as he said he would, Roman had taken Weiss's magic. Now that he had it all that's left for him to do…

The frigid clamp of fear that came over her heart coincided with the dreaded words, "One down, one to go."

 _No!_ Terrified at the notion of having her weapons taken from her and making her useless, Ruby scrambled to her feet. Her mind begged for something to come to her hands while they desperately reached out to grasp them. Anything that would stop what was being planned for her!

Two spears offered assistance; one short and gold, the other long and crimson. The former had the power to inflict wounds that could not be healed whether by natural or mystical means. The latter possessed the ability to penetrate anything that had been created with magic. Aiming with the crimson spear, Ruby threw it towards Roman with all her might.

Roman had moved back to the edge of the platform to look down upon Ruby. Despite the slender weapon – its flight boosted with magic – coming unerringly towards him, he seemed unconcerned. He held out his hand and summoned Weiss's glyph.

Ruby tensed, the golden spear pulled back and ready to throw as soon as its sibling impacted and dispelled the snowflake-shaped barrier.

It didn't. With a gasp, Ruby watched with disbelieving eyes when the longer spear failed to penetrate the glowing symbol of the royal family. She watched as it fell to the stairs and proceeded to recreate her earlier failure by descending with the same rolling, uncontrollable movements that fueled that growing dread.

Standing there, stupefied, Ruby didn't react when the glyph split into five smaller ones. When they shot towards Ruby in a blur she remained still.

The first went for her still-raised arm, right at the wrist. Jerking it back and forcing Ruby to drop her spear, the glyph transformed into a ring that circled around her limb. The second restrained her other arm. By the time Ruby came to her senses, the third shackled her ankles together, the fourth and fifth forming around her waist and neck.

 _No!_ When Ruby tried to struggle against these mystical restraints she found her strength to be completely useless. It was like her limbs were frozen, unable to move even an inch. _Stop, stop, stop!_

Ignoring her silent pleas, they raised her off her feet. The ones at her wrists pulled her arms out while the one at her ankles stretched her legs down, manipulating her to form a T. The ring around her neck prevented her from even turning her head while the one around her waist suppressed even the subtlest of shifts of her stomach and hips.

"Did you really think that there were no precautions taken when it came to an ability of that magnitude?"

Unable to even tilt her head up, Ruby had to rely on straining her eyesight as far up as it could go in order to spot Roman. With his lack of a cane to lean on, he had his arms folded over his chest. His expression was one of vile smugness.

"Weapons supplied by the royal family cannot harm them," he explained. "No matter the damage they can inflict or the capabilities that they possess, they become useless if turned on anyone that possess the blood or the magic of the dynasty."

"That's not fair!" Ruby argued, attempting to break free. It was no good; she couldn't even flex her muscles. "You can't do that!"

"This isn't a game where we're playing by your rules, you insolent girl! You lost!" The fingers of his left hand pinched the cloth of the glove that covered his right. "And now I will take what I have so rightfully earned." With a swift tug he removed the glove, baring his hand.

The ring that was looped around Ruby's left wrist pulsed. Whether Roman did it on purpose or not, Ruby found herself able to swivel her head just enough to see the back of her hand and the Crest that adorned it. The Crest was emitting a faint glimmer…and getting weaker as the white symbol started to turn black. There was a corruption that was gradually engulfing it.

The sight caused Ruby to shout and cry in denial. He couldn't take her weapons! Without her weapons she would be nothing! They were an extension of her very being, used to make up for her own weaknesses! Without them she would go back to being garbage!

The corruption continued, the aura that the Crest gave off dying. The blackness stretched to the very edges, spreading its taint to the fullest. The last ray of light vanished, snuffed out, and before Ruby's shocked eyes the Crest peeled away, stripping itself from the back of her hand and leaving behind unmarked skin before vanishing completely.

As if acting in concert, the glyphs disappeared along with it. Ruby fell to her knees. Frantically she looked down at her middle, towards the hole that had been previously burned into her clothing. The silver leather that had acted as an impenetrable defense was gone. Like the Crest, its abandonment left behind naked flesh.

Ruby caught sight of the golden spear that she dropped, resting no more than arms-length from her. She desperately reached for it but as soon as her fingertips touched it the spear vanished.

Even if her limbs were freed, Ruby felt them become heavy at the sight. Her arm dropping back and hanging limp, she stared vacantly at the empty patch of grass.

_...I lost._

She couldn't have lost. Heroes weren't supposed to lose. They were supposed to vanquish evil and come out on top. And yet here she was; unarmed, defenseless, and weak. How could she possibly fight now?

"Whoa-ho-ho!"

The manic laughter from up high had Ruby looking up. The entire space around the platform had become warped, the air just one giant ripple that contorted the very fabric of reality as the entirety of the Emperor's Vault was opened up.

There were dozens of them, perhaps even a hundred and more. Hovering above their new master were weapons of every conceivable shape and size. There were melee types with blades straight and curved, constructed of steel laced with magic or shaped from pure energy. Ranged weapons took the form of pistols, rifles, or cannons that could shoot bullets of various calibers or more unorthodox projectiles such as lasers or plasti-crystal shuriken.

Whooping like a madman, Roman was spinning in place, hands out and fingers curling towards the arsenal that was his to wield and command as he saw fit. The black snowflake-shaped Crest was clearly visible on his ungloved hand.

"All this lost technology!" he exclaimed. "The constructs that had been created during humanity's prime and the knowledge to use them! All mine! How can I possibly choose one?"

It was one that came to him at his silent command nevertheless. Its appearance was very similar to that of an iron staff that a monk would use, complete with six hoops that hung from the ring at the end of the shaft. But the blue rivets and runes not only hinted to its scientific nature but the magical one too.

Ruby had used it before which was the reason she recognized it. Despite its appearance, the staff can be considered as a mix of a gun or a tool to cast spells. The ammunition used in it are actually pre-made spells loaded into cartridges that any person could use even if they had no magical affinities. There were twenty varieties of shells in total with number four, nine, and thirteen being the most powerful kind that drew upon the life force of the shooter/caster to create a more powerful effect.

Yet with that knowledge in mind, Roman allowed the staff to leave his hand. "Nah, not that one."

Ruby understood that he was going to take his time to better rub his victory in her face. Let her wallow in her defeat for a little longer until he decided to put a final end to this match.

She couldn't do anything and she knew it. She had nothing left. Everything had been taken from her; her weapons, her resolve, and her friend. She was alone.

 _I'm a failure,_ she tearfully conceded, head bowing in defeat. _I wasn't good enough. I wanted to be the best but turns out I'm the worst._

This included being the worst friend. She had driven Weiss away and lost her regard. That had to be the most painful of mistakes that she made.

_I'm sorry, Weiss._

_**"I'm sorry, Ruby."** _

The words sent a jolt through her.

_**"Don't be mad at me anymore."** _

That voice. It couldn't be…

An examination of the throne told her that it couldn't. Off to the side of a cackling Roman was the White Throne and the princess frozen within. She was still trapped and hadn't moved an inch since closing herself off to Ruby. But that had definitely been Weiss she heard.

"I'm not mad," came her soft words. "I'm not mad anymore, Weiss. I can't stay mad at my best teammate. My best friend."

There was no way that the words could reach Weiss and Ruby didn't see any reaction. That was okay; she didn't need any. Just hearing that she wasn't alone anymore was enough.

"Ah, here we go! Something to match with your inevitable demise!"

Roman's chosen tool of execution was atypical. The general length and shape could classify it as a one-handed, single-edged longsword but the circular handle and slight curve to the blade made it look, oddly enough, like a half of a red scissor. The color was probably what brought on his comment. Sticking his arm through the handle, Roman spun this scissor sword on his forearm, building up momentum.

"End of the line, Red!" he called, flinging it down towards Ruby.

The black and red-dressed girl had found renewed strength in her legs to stand. Unfortunately, her rise left her abdomen – unprotected by armor or cloth – in a position to be run through with the incoming blade. Seeming unconcerned, Ruby held one arm off to her side before she brought it around with one quick motion.

With a clash of metal striking metal, she knocked the incoming projectile aside.

Roman, bent over from the motion of hurling Ruby's would-be executioner, was able to get a clear look at the lengthy handle decorated with a telescopic scope and a bulky magazine. At the end, the rose-red frame complete with black trims held a large crescent-shaped blade that curved outward while the gun barrel pointed ahead. Like the many other weapons Ruby wielded so far, the scythe appeared humongous when compared to her shorter stature.

"Impossible!" Roman spat. "The Vault is mine! You can't use any of its weapons without the Crest!"

"That's because this is _my_ weapon," Ruby countered, her grin showing the confidence that had been restored. The teen brought Crescent Rose around to hold it horizontally behind her back, displaying the ease in which she handled the immense scythe. "My one and only."

"One and only indeed." Although surprised by the appearance of the scythe, Roman seemed unconcerned what with the score of weapons that hovered behind him, waiting for their master's command. He tugged on the lapels of his suit, straightening any unwanted creases. "I have over a hundred and quite a few of them are even bigger than yours."

Ruby shrugged. "That's okay. I only need the one."

"Such boldness. As aggravating as that can be, I admit that a part of me is going to miss that about you, especially when it involves me continually crushing it. Oh well, all good things must come to an end unfortunately. It's high time you met yours."

Roman didn't need to physically handle his arsenal in order to use it. Sending a silent order to three of his gathered selection – a pair of serpentine daggers and a sword with a serrated edge -, he had them launch themselves to strike down Ruby.

Ruby twisted her torso, bracing herself as she elevated Crescent Rose so that the shaft rested higher up her back. One hand slid up the handle, closer to the blade while the other dropped down below the magazine. Her finger rested on the trigger located there.

She didn't fight the recoil this time. When she squeezed the trigger and fired off a thundering shot from Crescent Rose, Ruby let it turn her into a red-black twister as she spiraled in place. When the trio of improvised projectiles reached it they were easily batted away with the business end of Crescent Rose, the force scattering them high and far into the air.

She jammed the tip of her scythe into the ground, ending her spin and leaving her in a position where blade and barrel were pointed behind her, the handle towards the stairs. Pulling the bolt back she ejected the empty bullet casing. The springs in the magazine pushed a fresh round into place in time for her to slam it home when she brought the bolt forward again.

Tilting the scythe up towards her target, the next shot that Ruby fired started her high-speed ascent up the stairs.

Roman's confidence began to waver at the approaching warrioress. His hand started to wave more insistently towards her.

The hovering weapons sought to carry out their master's silent orders. Knives, swords, spears, and axes soared end over end towards the charging Ruby while the array of guns fired to create a chorus of _cracks_ , _bangs_ , and _pew-pews_.

The consistent firing of Crescent Rose kept Ruby out of harm's way. One blast sent Ruby off the stairs, avoiding a line of hollow-pointed bullets. Before her feet even touched the smooth, diagonal surface of the pyramid wall she had already loaded a fourth round. Another deafening note sung by Crescent Rose had Ruby spinning further up the structure before she could slip and fall, the crescent shape of sharpened steel knocking away an ornately-decorated halberd. A fifth bullet returned Ruby back to the stairs.

With every shot from Crescent Rose, Ruby was drawing closer and closer towards her prey who became more and more uneasy. The volleys of missiles increased in number and frequency, matching the movements of a more violent gesturing of Roman's hands.

The space separating them was vanishing and Ruby started taking hits. A knife drove itself into her thigh, a blaster bolt burned into her side and cauterized the skin over her ribs, a bullet barely missed her head but took a lock of hair, another grazed her cheek.

Ignoring them all, Ruby continued on.

The seemingly-unstoppable teen broke Roman's spirit. Giving up on the Vault, he turned to Weiss' magic, her glyph materializing in front of him. Seeing the storm of weapons having paused, Ruby used this moment to load her last round into Crescent Rose. Just before she fired she removed a hand from her scythe and summoned one last weapon.

She _might_ have been lying about only needing Crescent Rose. As soon as she felt the hilt slap into her palm, she coaxed one last blast from her scythe to send her the rest of the way to Roman. She stabbed forward with the slender form of her second weapon.

The pointed tip of Myrtenaster pierced through the glyph before doing the same to Roman's heart.

As much as he didn't deserve it, the fatal blow wasn't as instantaneous as it should have been. Gaping at the rapier that had been driven hilt-deep into his chest, Roman stumbled back. His black bowler cap fell from his head, leaving the shock, pain, and disbelief in his eyes open and obvious.

Leaning heavily against Crescent Rose, looking like the battered and bleeding heroine that would stand triumphantly after an epic battle, Ruby witnessed Roman grasp the hilt of Myrtenaster and attempt to remove it. No matter how forceful the tugs were, the rapier didn't move an inch.

The ice probably wasn't helping. Starting at the impact site, the frozen layer spread itself over the man's chest, freezing the immaculate suit and its red collar with the gray scarf consumed just as readily. It seemed to be spreading faster at the lower half as it had already reached his legs, transforming his pants into the solid, immovable substance.

It wasn't just the clothing. Dressed as he was, it was only when the ice reached his neck that Ruby could see the icy fingers extending over his skin.

"This can't be happening." Roman's struggles ceased but not of his own choice; limbs now completely encased. "Not to me. Not to-"

His jaw became frozen, lips freezing together a second later. The last movement that Roman Torchwick would make would be the rapid blinks if his eyes before the lids were similarly shut forever.

Ruby regarded the frozen statue with a tired gaze, brow arched. Letting go of Crescent Rose, she walked over with uncoordinated steps.

 _Torchcicle._ Ruby giggled at the name. _That's a good one._

Body swaying in place, she tilted her head up and narrowed her eyes towards a point at the center of Roman's forehead. Standing up on her toes, Ruby reached up.

"Boop." Her index finger jabbed against that point. In response the frozen statue tilted back…fell…and shattered into a thousand pieces upon landing on the floor. Examining the scattered cubes that remained, she spoke, "I guess that's what they call _Weiss Cold_."

She giggled one last time and then promptly fell backwards.

* * *

When Ruby came to, it was to look upon the end of a hero's journey that saw them reaching the edges of the mortal plane and being able to peer into the celestial for clearly that explained why she was able to witness this angelic beauty laid out before her.

Though shrouded in red to preserve her modesty, the near-flawless face of her snowy princess was uncovered and consoled Ruby with tranquil features. No longer confined to the throne in frozen incarceration, Weiss was allowed to breathe easy. The yellow-orange curls that had been branded into her skin were gone and while her eyes were closed Ruby guessed that they had been equally purified.

But that was an assumption. Ruby wanted to see the evidence.

Trying to scoot closer to erase the already miniscule space that separated them, she took note of the sluggish movements of her body. _That's right. I'm dying._

That was the logical explanation for this lethargy that had come over her. Her motor functions were impaired and trying to retain her to the floor, she was struggling to keep the weights that were her eyelids up, and the mental activity of her brain was similarly plagued with this drowsiness. She presumed that the reason she wasn't feeling any pain was because of just how absolutely _exhausted_ she was.

But those tended to be the consequences that came from a hero who was willing to brave through the obstacles that dotted the righteous path they traveled. Unfortunately, it seemed that she was the type to give it her all to reach the end - including her life. This selfless heroine would be allowed to stand for a while longer to bask in glory before she would fall into death's embrace.

A romantic, if tragic, finale for her tale. But there yet remained a couple words still needed to be said. One last action needed to be performed.

"Weiss?"

The name was spoken in a whisper and the raspy tone made it practically inaudible, leaving Ruby to wonder if she voiced it despite feeling her mouth having worked over the short sweetness of the single syllable that shaped it. It came as no surprise that it did little to rouse Weiss from her slumber.

Not that Ruby believed that it would've been enough anyway even if it possessed the right amount of volume. Fortunately, she had the old stories specifying the most effective method to free pretty princesses from their sleep.

A hand was placed on a bump beneath the red cloth that was Weiss's shoulder. There came a furrowed brow at the touch but she remained in her trance.

Her head was too low, the folded jacket beneath her proving inept. No matter how it protested at being moved, Ruby brought her other arm around to slip her hand under Weiss' head, her palm cupping her cheek to elevate it that one needed inch. The action cajoled a groan this time.

Ruby's thumb came beneath the pale chin, tilting it just enough to level the pink lips with her own. The scythe-wielder leaned forward, silver eyes closing.

At the same time, ice blue eyes were opened halfway, glazed with drowsiness. "Ru-mmm?"

Weiss' lips were just like her name: cold and sweet. Vanilla frosting would've undeniably been the right choice as Ruby compared the kiss to tasting vanilla ice cream.

"…Mmmf!"

The shoulder in her one hand became tense. Creamy skin stretched along the surface of her other as Weiss became fully conscious, eyes widening. Her lips stayed still and Ruby took it as a sign to keep hers pressed against them for a few more seconds.

The act done and the princess awake, Ruby pulled away to give her a tired smile.

Weiss stared back with saucer-wide eyes and reddened cheeks.

"Wakey-wakey, sleeping beauty. You aren't alone anymore."

Ruby considered them to be the perfect last words; a child-like reference to honor the fairy tales that had never led her astray followed by more meaningful, honest words. Weiss's eyes somehow getting even larger while her entire countenance went red told Ruby that she had chosen well. Willing to give in to her own sleep now, Ruby closed her eyes and let her body go limp.

Then her angel nearly blew out her eardrums with a scream more befitting of a banshee.

Motor skills were shocked into action. Shrieking herself, Ruby shot up from her prone position, silver orbs becoming huge with startlement-

_Thunk!_

-before being temporarily sealed when Ruby winced, pain blossoming at the top of her head. Pressing her hand against the bump that was growing there, Ruby glanced above her.

 _Table,_ her brain recognized, the sense seemingly knocked back into it. _That's a table. I'm under a table._

She was back in the library. Whipping her head around, her woken brain demanding information, Ruby saw the surrounding bookshelves that had been standing tall before the Ursa Major had come crashing in and attacked her, knocking them aside. Except they were still standing tall, the damage having somehow been repaired.

Something slipped off her form. Ruby peered down at the gray cloth that lay spread around her to see Beacon's logo staring right back at her.

 _Oh,_ came her brain. _We're not back in the real world. We're in the_ real, _real world!_

Ruby wasn't bleeding or dying either. Instead of a torn and bloody suit and dress shirt there was her intact blouse, corset, and skirt. When Ruby brought her gaze towards Weiss again, she got a bad feeling that that might change relatively soon.

Weiss was sitting up, clutching Ruby's cloak to her chest. Her face was still red and shocked. By the time the heiress lifted her hand and pulled it back, palm pointed towards Ruby, it had become red and angry.

"Weiss!" Ruby squeaked in fear, raising both of hers in surrender. "Wait! I can explain-!"

_Slap!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weapons Used In Order:  
> Emperor's Vault - Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon (Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero)  
> Alucard's Cassull and Jackal (Hellsing)  
> Stargate (Stargate)  
> Captain Bravo's Silver Skin (Busou Renkin)  
> Needlers (Halo)  
> 3D Maneuver Gear (Attack on Titan)  
> Spartan Laser (Halo)  
> Lightsaber (Star Wars)  
> Lancer's Gae Buidhe and Gae Dearg (Fate/Zero)  
> Ron McDougal's Caster (Outlaw Star)  
> Ryuko Matoi's Scissor Blade (Kill la Kill)
> 
> Other Notable References:  
> Warhammer 40k  
> Protoss homeworld of Aiur as described by Christie Golden's Shadow Hunters (Starcraft)


	5. Fill My Dreams

This has to be a dream.

_Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump._

No, it couldn't be a dream. A dream would imply that Weiss had wanted that to happen and she would never admit that.

_Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump._

Except she _had_ wanted that. Ever since she saw Yang and Blake, ever since that day, she had imagined Ruby doing exactly what she had done. Back then it had just been a dream. Now it was no longer a dream. As of a few minutes ago it had become _real_.

_Th-thump. Th-thump. Th-thump. Th-thump._

_Just because it happened doesn't mean I wanted it like that!_ Weiss tried to argue, her hand lying on her chest. _It had been uncalled for! She had the audacity to do that when I was still asleep! I was defenseless and she took advantage of that!_

_… …Thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump!_

_Stop getting excited!_ Her nails dug into her skin as if seeking to reach inside and throttle that vital organ known as her heart for its betrayal.

"Hey, Weiss?"

_THUMP!_

"Gah!" The small, timid voice and how it caused her heart to try and bust out had Weiss jumping. Once her feet returned to the floor she quickly whirled around on the culprit. "What did I say, Ruby?"

"But Weiss, can I _please_ take this off?"

"No! Now be quiet!"

Ruby sighed, exasperated. At least that's what Weiss had to assume that exhalation meant because with the red cloth that had Ruby's face and most of her body hidden from view the fencer couldn't make out any sort of expression. Weiss watched intently as her leader fidgeted but made no move to pull it off as promised.

Weiss didn't have a choice and it was Ruby's fault anyway what with completely shattering her composure. The rapidly-beating heart wasn't the only thing that Weiss was trying to get under control but it was hidden beneath a wall of flesh and bone. Her red face and heavy breathing, on the other hand, were in plain sight and Weiss fought to force down the blood that was gathered at her cheeks while normalizing her heart rate and irregular breaths.

It was difficult enough with the images that were plaguing her mind. If Weiss ended up looking upon Ruby right now, it would be impossible to get herself back together. She still didn't even know what to make of the events that led her to take such drastic measures.

 _She kissed me!_ With one hand over her heart, Weiss placed the other over her mouth as she replayed the events in her head.

Going by her watch and the digital clock on her scroll, Weiss had been asleep for less than an hour when she had been woken up. Being the studious student that she was, Weiss knew it was enough for her body to just reach the deepest stage of sleep where mental functions were reduced to an all-time low, the blood flow diverting to recharge her energy, but not enough time to enter proper REM sleep. She had been at her most vulnerable and Ruby-

_Th-thump th-thump th-thump!_

_Stop that!_

She had to fight through the grogginess to understand what was going on. The warm yet dry lips against her own, the red-tipped locks that stroked her cheek while the other was tenderly cupped in the palm of a hand, a thumb that used that fraction of strength to tilt her chin just right…

…and she didn't do anything. Ruby was kissing her and she didn't do anything. The ingrained need to maintain her dignity had Weiss rationalizing that this was only because she hadn't been fully awake yet.

She was deceiving herself. She didn't do anything because she hadn't known what to do! It was not offence at Ruby's boldness but frustration at her own inaction that Weiss had felt! What was she supposed to do? Their lips were pressed against one another but Weiss knew there was more to it than that. She had seen it with Blake and Yang after all…

Before she could figure it out Ruby had pulled away.

_The nerve of her!_

The surprise of the kiss had Weiss shrieking as she had done. Her desire to lash out at Ruby had been because her team leader _didn't give her a chance to respond_! She had felt cheated!

Weiss lifted the hand from her mouth but didn't pull it away completely. She kept the tips of two fingers to her lips, gently tracing them. _That was my first kiss…_

Her first kiss with the first person she held special feelings for. It was supposed to be an occasion that could never be repeated and Weiss felt disappointed at not having done more. And yet…

The two fingers curled over her upper and lower lip before pressing against them to best try to mimic Ruby's.

…Not good enough, not by a long shot. They didn't have the correct shape or possess the right amount of warmth. While a tad dry due to sleep, Ruby's lips had fitted with hers so precisely that they were like puzzle pieces coming together. In that moment Weiss can say, without a doubt, that she had experienced perfection at its finest.

And Weiss had no idea why Ruby had done it. They had been mad at each other a few hours earlier, she had been sure that the scythe-wielder didn't want to see her again, so why did she wake up to Ruby kissing her?

She didn't wait for an answer, didn't even ask for one. She had acted out without thought and slapped Ruby across the face. Now she found herself with a whole host of other problems.

 _I did it again!_ she had thought, staring in shock at the handprint that she had stupidly allowed herself to mark Ruby with. She hurt her a second time.

_This is her fault for kissing me! Oh Dust, I hit her! Stupid, stupid, stupid! She did it so suddenly! What does it mean? She didn't give me a chance to respond! She must hate me now! This is my fault! Why didn't you hold it for just a little longer, you dunce?_

Baffled and hurt silver orbs met her astonished blue ones, pulling Weiss away from the thoughts that crowded her mind. Tears welling up in her eyes, Ruby held a hand to where she had been struck.

"W-Weiss?"she tearfully queried. She started scooting away from the heiress.

_Nonononono!_

So the Schnee heiress did the logical thing for a time like this: she tackled Ruby. Although stronger than her, the suddenness of it and being unbalanced had Ruby falling onto her back with a cry of surprise, her pain forgotten.

Weiss still had Ruby's cloak. Acting quickly – and still logically -, she threw it over her team leader.

"W-w-what!?" Ruby yelped, arms and legs flailing as she struggled beneath the heiress.

"Ruby, wait! Stop!" Sitting on Ruby's legs in an attempt to pin them down, Weiss grasped one of the waving arms while her other hand kept a portion of the cloak over her partner's head.

To say that this was one of the most awkward mornings for Weiss to wake up to was an understatement. Then again, this was only her second year of Beacon; she had a couple more left to top this one. Maybe Ruby's bed would finally fall on her and put her out of her misery. It would be messy but quick.

Until such a time of sweet relief, however, she was still burdened with the duties of being the best teammate which included making up with her dolt of a leader who she may or may not want to become her girlfriend.

"I just want to talk!" Weiss insisted, bouncing with the movements of Ruby's kicking legs. She moved her head in time to avoid getting hit by the scythe-wielder's free arm. "Give me a minute! Don't run away!"

The words seemed to reach Ruby. Before her arm could come back around and potentially land a successful blow, she stopped it. "…I'm not going anywhere."

Weiss loosened her grip, waited, and then let go when she was sure that Ruby wasn't going to pull a fast one on her. Placing her hands on the floor to support herself, Weiss sighed in relief.

"…Can I get up now?"

Weiss looked to where she assumed Ruby's head was and froze. She hadn't noticed during the struggle but now she became acutely aware as to how her palms were planted at either side of Ruby's shrouded form. With her seated on Ruby's legs, Weiss had leaned over in such a way that her face was hovering over Ruby's with barely a foot of space between them.

She knew this because while she had been mostly successful in keeping Ruby's cloak over her head, the point of her chin was nonetheless visible.

It would be an inch, maybe not even that. If the cloth was lifted a tiny bit more, Ruby's mouth would be exposed. Then it would be so easy for Weiss to lessen the strength of her arms and bring her own lips down to meet Ruby's again. The surprising kiss had happened less than a minute ago, nowhere near enough time for her lips to forget the intruding pair that matched so well with them. There was still a hint of another's warmth playing across them.

 _She wouldn't be able to blame me,_ the heiress tried to reason. _She got me when I was asleep so this wouldn't be anywhere near as shameful, right?_

She could uncover her leader's mouth but leave her eyes concealed. She wouldn't know what was happening, not until Weiss had drawn her into another meeting that the fencer would be in control of this time.

_It's only fair…_

"Weiss?"

She blinked. She had been staring at that chin yet it took Weiss a moment to understand that her hand had mysteriously appeared over it, her fingers about to pinch the edge of the cloth. To take it…move it…

_…I was really going to do it!_

_Thunk!_

Ruby jerked and let out an alarmed, "Weiss?" Her hand went to her head.

"No!" Ignoring the throbbing at the back of her skull, courtesy of the table, Weiss desperately lunged forward and snatched that wrist along with the other before pinning them at the sides of her partner's head.

Needless to say, this did little to improve their positioning.

"I mean yes!" Weiss quickly corrected when she felt Ruby about to resume her struggles, face beet red. "Yes, you can get up!"

Whether it was because Weiss had said yes or the desperation in her tone, Ruby made no move other than to tilt her head to where she assumed her partner's face was. Unknown to her, the act caused her chin to shift in a way that the heiress found tempting. _Too_ tempting. When Weiss let go of Ruby's wrists, she erased the temptation by pulling the cloak down to completely cover it.

The move caused Ruby to ask, "Can I take off my cloak?"

"No," Weiss replied, voice tight with barely-restrained emotion. The kind of emotion that had her heart battering around against her ribs, the kind that was cooking her cheeks, the kind of emotion that she wasn't sure she would be able to control if she saw Ruby and vice versa.

"But-"

"I said no!" There was no way that Weiss was going to allow a repeat. She had to regain control! Whatever her hand had tried to pull had been too much. "Do you want to make up for what you did?"

Ruby nodded vigorously. "Absolutely!"

"Then keep that over your head until I say otherwise!"

Ruby ended up agreeing with some reluctance. Considering her disrupted vision, Weiss assisted her in getting her out from under the table and leading her back to the entrance of the library.

"So what are we doing?" Ruby questioned when Weiss told her to stay where she was.

"I'm going to send a message to Yang and Blake," Weiss replied, keeping her voice under control while the rest of her body rebelled against her. "If they don't respond I'll send a message to the main offices and hope that someone will be sent to get us out of here."

Although purposely not looking directly at Ruby, Weiss still kept her within her peripheral to make sure she kept her promise. Ruby became unusually quiet and the heiress took note of the slight lowering of the head as her leader attempted to digest what she just said. When Weiss pulled out her scroll and started tapping the screen, the audible _beeps_ had Ruby spinning in her direction.

"You have your scroll?"

Weiss gritted her teeth as if preparing for an argument. "Yes. I thought I didn't have it on me but apparently I did. I only found it when I woke up."

She was expecting Ruby to ask why she didn't know beforehand. She was waiting for a snide remark that she didn't need but knew that she would deserve because she had been an idiot for not realizing that she had it on her the whole time. It would hurt but Ruby would have every right to take advantage of the slip.

She didn't do any of that. Instead of sounding nasty, the scythe-wielder was rather subdued when she responded with, "I see. That's good."

Weiss's finger paused from its tapping before glancing over to bring more of Ruby into view. She waited but her partner remained standing there quietly. Her teeth grinding with indecision, Weiss opened her mouth…then closed it.

She still couldn't say it. She was able to say it when Ruby wasn't conscious but she couldn't say it at a time where it desperately needed to be. She silently returned to her scroll.

Weiss got an error when she tried to contact Yang which reminded her that Ruby's brute of a sister was still waiting for a replacement for her damaged one. She sent a message to Blake's then one to Ruby's in hopes that it was still in their dorm and that one of their teammates would pick up. No luck from either of them.

 _Main offices then,_ she decided. There had to be some kind of overnight shift in place to take care of these sorts of occasions. She refused to believe that the top combat school that trained soon-to-be-warriors to be prepared for anything wouldn't have planned for something like this.

That, at least, proved to be true. Weiss got a response almost immediately detailing that whoever was on the other end understood the situation and would be sending a staff member shortly. The last bit had Weiss visibly wincing. A staff member probably meant a professor, potentially one of hers. Her pride would end up taking a hit from whatever scolding she would receive if this was the case but, right now, that was the least of her concerns.

Her foremost concern was figuring out what to do with Ruby. To do that, she needed to control herself first. Taking deep, slow breaths, Weiss had turned her back on her partner to stare out one of the windows.

According to her scroll, it was almost time for the early morning. Even now Weiss could see that it was no longer completely black outside; more like a dark blue as the sun drew closer and closer to eventually rise over the horizon. Then the weekend would officially begin.

There wouldn't be any classes and, thus, no duties that would keep them separated. They might think of activities to do for themselves like catch up on school work or just laze around the whole time but Weiss understood that she needed to get things between the two of them settled unless she wanted a very awkward Saturday and possibly Sunday.

It didn't help that she still couldn't settle her heart. She got control of her breathing, managed to shift the gathered blood beneath her cheeks elsewhere, but while her heart had slowed it still possessed an unsteady rhythm that Weiss found uncomfortable. Looking back at Ruby would cause it to speed up and the heiress would whip her head back around in response.

 _Come on, Weiss,_ she scolded herself. _Let's try to do this before someone comes to get us out._

Easier said than done. Despite the added challenge, it did little to help Weiss regain her composure. Just when she thought she had it, just when she thought she was ready to face Ruby, she would turn around, look at her leader, and imagine the face that she had seen upon awakening.

It had been the face that she had fantasized. There were a couple discrepancies – the half-lidded eyes filled with drowsiness, not affection, and the tiny smile that conveyed sleepiness instead of love – but the fact that it had been _real_ , that it _happened_ , and the other sensations that she hadn't thought about – Ruby's hair caressing her face, the tender hold at her shoulder and cheek – had Weiss's heart racing.

And the words! The words that put her into such stunned silence, the ones that had put a halt to every bodily and mental function, and the ones that had so utterly paralyzed her. They may not have been the exact words she wanted to hear but the meaning behind them was; the meaning that let Weiss know that there was someone there for her. That she didn't have to be alone anymore. That she had been right about her choice for Ruby all along.

…It was too good to be true.

 _There's no rhyme or reason behind it,_ Weiss argued. _The last time she saw me I hurt her. I may've searched for her, found her, but there's nothing logical for her to do what she did. It must've been…an accident._

That had to be it. Her heart was stung but it was a disciplinary action that Weiss felt necessary to bring it back under her authority. Ruby had looked tired so she probably hadn't been completely aware of her actions. It looked like she was about to fall right back to sleep if Weiss hadn't screamed.

The heiress felt the decline of her shoulders. Yes, that was it. As relieved as she was to find sense behind the action, she also felt disappointed.

…But Ruby still did it. Out of her mind or not, _something_ had caused her to do what she did. It was that desire to know what it was that had Weiss finally turning around to fully face her partner. "Ruby."

There came an audible gasp and Weiss watched as something hastily moved from Ruby's covered face and dropped back to her side. There was the slight motion of fingers flicking something to the floor. The heiress quirked a brow then felt it twitch when she figured out what Ruby had been doing.

 _She was picking her nose again._ She resisted the impulse to slap her palm against her forehead. _Disgusting._

Ruby's verbal bashfulness further pointed to it. "Um, yes, Weiss?"

Exhaling heavily, Weiss decided to get on with it. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

Weiss failed to control her hand this time. _Please don't make me say it._ She lowered it back down. "You know what."

"Er…" It was obvious that Ruby knew by the awkward shuffling of her feet. "Yeah, I guess I do."

Weiss tightly crossed her arms over her chest both as a way to appear more resolute – even if Ruby couldn't see it – and to make a vain attempt to keep her heart in place as it started to speed up. "You said you can explain. I'm listening."

"Weeellll," Ruby began. Her arms stretched out her cloak as she brought them up to perform her other habit of poking her fingers together. "It's kind of stupid. I thought I was still having a dream."

 _Ah._ There came a pang beneath the fencer's breast. _So I was right; it was an accident._

"And I kind of thought I was dying…"

Weiss shook her head. "Right, I guess I should be flattered that _that_ would be the last thing you would want to do before dying." Ruby flinched at that and even Weiss had to admit that it sounded a bit harsh.

"…There was more to it than that," Ruby continued after some hesitation. "It was kind of a bad dream. I mean it started off good, then it became not-so-good."

That got her attention at least. "What was 'not-so-good' about it?"

Her leader's head visibly lowered. "Well you were in it. And you were kind of…mad." It went down further and her voice became muted. "I tried to apologize. I tried to make things better but you were still mad at me. You said you were going to leave me alone because that's what I wanted you to do but I didn't want you to do that. I said that we were friends but you still…left."

Weiss had been staring at Ruby. During the explanation, the heiress was aware of her eyes gradually widening. The arms that had been folded tightly against her chest became loose before dropping away completely.

She had said that. She had said that she would leave Ruby alone. She would leave Ruby for this night and the night after that and the one after that…

Her bottom lip trembled and Weiss bit down on it to get it to stop. Even though Ruby remained hidden beneath her cloak, Weiss found her gaze drifting off to the side, unable to look at her. She took a deep, steadying breath.

"It was just a dream, Ruby," Weiss spoke when she was brave enough. To her ears, it sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince her partner. "It wasn't real."

Ruby didn't say anything, not for a while. She didn't even make any sort of movement, cloak and owner having become very still. Then, "It doesn't mean my feelings weren't."

Weiss stiffened.

"And I…" Ruby shrugged. "I would've felt bad if I was dying and wasn't able to see you one last time to let you know that I wasn't mad anymore."

The dam that had previously been demolished and what Weiss had hastily rebuilt threatened to collapse once again. The hurriedly-placed brick threatened to come tumbling down, the mortar that held it together having yet to fully dry. Its recent reconstruction was in danger of becoming very short-lived.

 _Not again!_ the heiress thought fiercely, reinforcing her weakening barrier with supports consisting of Schnee pride. _Weiss Schnee is not so weak as to cry twice on the same day!_

She swallowed hard, quashing those troublesome emotions that sought to cripple her a second time. She was not going to be reduced to such a sniveling mess in front of her leader! She was going to make things right and do it the way that she wanted!

Chin and shoulders set with determination, Weiss gazed intently at Ruby. Then, with stiff steps, she marched over to her. It was when she was right in front of her did her partner sense her presence and turned her head as if to meet Weiss's eyes even if it continued to be impossible.

Weiss could just tell Ruby to do it herself but knew that that would be a mistake. This next part she had to do on her own and her heart went back to a quickening tempo. Not going to give any kind of doubt a chance, the fencer grabbed the edge of the cloak and promptly raised it over Ruby's head.

The abrupt switch from total darkness to partial had Ruby squint her eyes. They readjusted quickly and soon swiveled to meet with Weiss's. For being such irritants earlier, the heiress was surprised that her breath and heart stopped when she locked eyes with Ruby while her conviction abandoned her. Both partners stared at one another, unsure of how to react.

It was Ruby who managed to do so first. The corners of her lips curved into an uneasy but hopeful smile. Weiss found it to be contagious as her own mouth copied it. That resolve faltered when she looked to Ruby's left cheek. It had to have vanished by now and Weiss was probably imagining it but she thought she could make out the reddened skin that was shaped like a five-fingered appendage.

"I'm sorry."

Ruby's brows went skyward.

Weiss shared her partner's surprise. In truth, she wasn't sure that she had said them; they had come without warning. Seeing the younger girl's amazement convinced the heiress that she had indeed done so. It made her feel awkward and Weiss felt a desire to look away.

She killed it. After all, once was _not_ going to be enough here.

That deep-seated Schnee doctrine of always being infallible reared its ugly head but it wasn't going to stop Weiss this time. Breaking free from that restriction, she powered on through with, "I'm sorry, Ruby. I was wrong. I shouldn't have said those things to you."

Ruby was blinking several times as she digested the words. Her smile had disappeared but once _she_ realized that it wasn't a dream it came back with a sparkling vengeance. "You aren't solely to blame Weiss; I said some things I shouldn't have either. I'm sorry too. So…do you forgive me?"

Weiss's hand decided to stick to its treasonous ways. First the scroll, then the cloak, now it was Ruby's cheek that it sought of its own volition. Leaving its sibling to keep the article of clothing up, it dropped down and gently slid along the smooth, pale skin to stretch over where it had previously smacked Ruby. Unlike the earlier sting its touch was delicate, perhaps apologetic.

Ruby giggled. "Cold."

"Sorry." Strange how apologizing had formerly been a preposterous thing to the heiress with how automatic that one sounded. "It's usually like that."

"Don't be sorry." Ruby leaned against it. "It's actually kind of nice." Her own came up to gently grasp her partner's as if to keep it there.

An odd cycle that they established here; while Weiss's cold touch soothed whatever ache had been left behind, Ruby's grip warmed hers. It was the contact and that smile that her leader directed at her that had the warmth spreading up her arm and focusing its efforts to her heart. Like the kiss, Weiss couldn't help but think of how this connection seemed complete as they relieved each other's troubles.

This state of serenity that Weiss yearned for and made possible by Ruby convinced her that her choice was a sensible one. That belief that her partner would be able to make her life whole was clearly validated here. Weiss was convinced of it except…did Ruby feel the same?

_She said her feelings were real. Does that mean…?_

The heiress let her thumb gently trace along the line of Ruby's cheekbone. Her pinkie and ring finger struggled against her partner's hold to drift down her jaw. This time Weiss gave them permission to curl beneath her chin.

Ruby quirked a brow and there came a slight tilt of her head to display perplexity at how Weiss was acting. Those lovely silver gems wordlessly asked what she was doing. The heiress knew that the best way to answer Ruby was to ask a question of her own; one that had the potential to change their entire relationship for better or worse.

The fencer had come to the library to see if she was willing to spend her time and effort to create something sacred with Ruby. She found her answer. Now it was time for her team leader to decide if she wanted to do the same.

Weiss wasn't going to miss this opportunity. Bracing herself, she started, "Ruby-?"

The scratching on the door served to startle both girls. They jumped, screeched, and hastily backed away from each other. Unfortunately for Ruby, the separation caused her cloak to fall back over her face. Making various incomprehensible noises, she stumbled, tripped, and fell to the floor. Weiss spun around to the door, doing her best to suppress the heat at her face and her frustrations that her chance had been utterly blown.

Their rescuer apparently arrived and was leaning heavily against the door with one arm against the glass that was concealing their face from the heiress, making it difficult for her to recognize them. The scratching she soon identified as being the scroll that the individual was trying to slide through the lock and failing numerous times.

What served to distract Weiss though was all the _green_ she saw. Whoever it was, she had to wrinkle her nose at their design choice of a thick robe of dull green. It made the bright yellow sash all the more noticeable and painful to look at. Between the nightcap – the same shade of green with a yellow puff ball at the end – and the fluffy slippers – also green -, the heiress was ready to believe that a horrendous blob of vomit had come to save them.

Despite her offended sensibilities, she tried to remember her manners. After all, they came to get them out at this unholy hour. More importantly, this could be a professor who may hold her grades in their hands. As she was wondering who it could be that had this abominable fashion sense, the door opened.

Adopting a courtly appearance, Weiss stepped back as it swung open and bowed her head. "I thank you very much for coming out and apologize profusely…" She lifted it to identify the individual, paused, blinked, paused again, and blinked again. Her respectable presentation was ruined as she stared, mouth agape. "Professor Oobleck?"

The glasses threw her off, specifically their lack of presence. Without the round, opaque lenses she could see his brown eyes. Well, kind of; they were practically closed except for that centimeter of space that left the hint of brown irises. His hair didn't help either. Usually swept back with what Weiss assumed was a lot of hair gel, what wasn't hidden under the cap was a shaggy mess that descended over half of his face. How Oobleck could even see was beyond the heiress yet she felt his attention directed on her.

"Shuffle duffle muzzle muff."

Weiss stood there, flabbergasted. In contrast to his appearance, the words were loud and clear. That didn't mean she had any idea of what he just said. "Excuse me?"

With a sluggish nod of his head, her history professor turned around and started to walk – no, more like shuffle away. A very slow, snail-paced shuffle.

"I guess he doesn't like to get up on Saturdays."

A sidelong glance had the fencer see that Ruby had recovered and was pinning her cloak in its proper place. She looked as dumbfounded concerning their lethargic teacher as Weiss did.

"Let's just get back to our dorm," Weiss spoke, deflated.

* * *

"My dream wasn't all bad though. I was taking out Grimm with super-awesome weapons like a gun that shot pretty pink crystal needles of death! Personally, I think Nora would like that one. Oh, and I had a big laser cannon to kill a Death Stalker with!"

Ruby was back to her normal self at the very least. She had been silent during the short trek from the library to the main dorms but it looked as if that was the farthest she was willing to go to keep quiet. Once they entered the building and started up the stairs to their floor, she started going on about her dream.

"There were a couple weird ones though. What would you think of a scissor sword Weiss?"

"Highly impractical," came her unenthusiastic reply.

"Yeah, I thought that too."

Yep, everything was back to normal. Weiss felt her stomach churn uncomfortably every time it came to her.

She missed her chance. As cruel as she knew the world could be, she still found it unfair. It's not like she was rushing this; she spent weeks dissecting and examining these newfound emotions that Yang and Blake had dug up for her to identify this foreign thing known as love. An equal amount of time had been used to comprehend that the reason for this love was because there was someone that was close to her and her teammates' actions unveiled this desire to be even closer.

Days became wasted when Weiss tried to fathom why it was that all the inconsistencies between her and Ruby meant absolutely nothing in the wake of these unexplainable affections. Throw in the past twenty-four hours of the emotional roller coaster she had taken a ride in and she'd like to think that she suffered enough. She had her trial of tears thank you very much, now let her find closure!

And just as the question that would achieve that for her came rolling off the tongue, she had been unfairly thwarted. With this uncertainty eating away at her insides, she wouldn't have cared if the answer would've been no; it's still an answer.

"Oh, you remember that Torchwick guy? He was there too. I kicked him in the face."

_That sounds great Ruby but I have something to ask you. I think I love you so do you love me?_

Yep, stupid. Staring into those pools of silver, stroking that smooth cheek, the warmth that Ruby so willingly transferred from her fingers and made Weiss want to embrace her so that she could experience it everywhere? Apart from Blake's novels - which she used for _research,_ mind you -, Weiss didn't expect to find such a romantic setting anywhere else unless some author did decide to take over her life and write up a second chance for her.

"Did you have any interesting dreams, Weiss?"

"Hm?" Lost as she was in this gloom, the heiress had been directing minor attention to her partner; enough to provide impassive responses but not enough to get invested in a conversation. "No, I didn't have any."

"Are you okay?"

That question got Weiss to devote a bit more. Looking to Ruby, she saw the younger girl directing a concerned frown at her. A certain blood-pumping organ twisted within her. Was that expression of worry for a friend and teammate hiding anything else behind it? Normally the fencer would chalk it up to Ruby being Ruby: a childish but caring leader who always tried to keep things light and cheery with the former but knew how to switch to the latter when it wasn't adequate.

But that was before said leader had kissed her. The dream that influenced her to do it wasn't real but she said her feelings were. The obscurity was aggravating and Weiss couldn't ask for a clear-cut answer because of this laughable excuse that the situation wasn't good enough for her to ask anymore.

She kept her irritation hidden. "It's nothing, Ruby; I'm just tired." It was a partial lie. She _was_ tired and she used that to defend her decision to rub at her eyes instead of needing to obstruct Ruby from her sight. "The library floor isn't a great place to sleep on."

"I guess that's true." Ruby said it but the doubt in her tone allowed Weiss to predict the frown that she still spotted when she was done.

Fortunately they had reached the door to their dorm room at this point. After fishing her scroll out from her jacket pocket, Weiss slid it through the reader. She started pulling the door open as soon as she heard the _click_ of the lock. "I'll be fine after a couple more hours of sleep in my- _AIE!_ "

Like a true Huntress-in-training, Ruby had the reflexes to let her react accordingly to catch her snow-haired partner when she suddenly flew back into her. Just as importantly, she had the strength to keep her in the bridal carry. Weiss didn't seem to mind as her arms had went around her leader's neck for support while she stared frightfully at the entrance to their dorm.

It was a reasonable reaction to have when a zombie was waiting for you. An undead creature with dark circles beneath lifeless lilac eyes that have become bloodshot and droopy, skin sagging over cheekbones, bruises at the lips and around the neck, and golden hair that has become wild and…east. If there were marks located elsewhere, the rug that was rolled up and held against her chest kept them hidden.

With Weiss's mouth flapping uselessly like a fish, it was Ruby who had to question, "Yang?"

Her older sister didn't seem to register her own name. She was staring in their direction but it didn't seem like she was really looking at them. Then there came a flicker of movement from her eye sockets. "Oh, hey Ruby and…Weiss? Was wondering where you girls were."

The fencer and scythe-wielder looked at one another simultaneously, their exhausted blonde teammate and her slow, uncertain words serving to distract them from how their noses almost bumped together. They looked back at Yang and it was Weiss's turn to speak with, "We were in the library."

"Library…" Yang repeated. Her face scrunched up questionably. "…Isn't it closed?"

"Yes, Yang," replied Ruby, looking rather worried. "We were locked in all night."

"It's almost six o'clock," Weiss provided.

Yang's brows furrowed, pondering over this bit of information. The heiress took this moment to get a better look at those marks on her neck. If she didn't know any better, a couple looked like something had bitten her, especially the one at the side of her neck that was the most prominent.

"…That long?"

Ruby and Weiss shared another simultaneous glance. Increasingly bothered by the state of her sister, Ruby asked, "Yang, are you okay?"

"…Am I?" Yang examined herself, shifting the rug within her arms. Her form remained mostly hidden but the action revealed how one strap of her orange top had slid dangerously low. It also showed that the bruises hadn't stopped at her neck. "…Yeah." The smile was tired but definitely bright as Yang nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright. Actually, I think I'm more than alright."

Ruby appeared to want to dispute that but seemed willing to take her sister's word for it despite the physical evidence. "If you say so. Um…what are you doing with the rug?"

Finally something other than fatigue came over Yang's features as a feeble grin that indicated embarrassment sprouted. "Oh, this? It needs to get cleaned so I'm just dropping it off. 'Cause, ya know, it got dirty."

"…How did it get dirty?"

"There's no need for details, little sis. The rug got dirty so it needs to get cleaned. Don't get hung up on the inconsequential."

The rather big word – considering its Yang – at the end gave Ruby pause as she tried to figure out its definition. Weiss, on the other hand, was starting to figure out that this conversation required an end and soon. "If the rug needs to get cleaned then it needs to get cleaned! Ruby and I are just going to get some extra sleep so don't let us delay you any longer!"

"Sleep," Yang repeated. A dreamy look came over her face as she stumbled past the two. "That sounds nice. I should try that when I get back."

Neither girl chose to respond. With Weiss still in her arms, Ruby moved aside to let Yang pass. It gave them a view of the blonde's back and Weiss drew herself closer against Ruby in response to what she saw.

The bruises really hadn't stopped at Yang's neck. Not only that, the cloth of her orange top had been torn to display the thin red lines that went down her back. There was a bit of a wobble to her step. Weiss breathed easy again once the brawler turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Feeling inexplicably weary, she rested her head against Ruby's shoulder, her arms still around her neck.

"Y-y-you want to go to bed, Weiss?"

Ruby's voice brought her back to her senses. Weiss jerked her gaze to Ruby's face and saw the pink at her cheeks and how those silver eyes were trying their best to avoid meeting hers. One awkward situation became replaced with another when Weiss noted that Ruby still had her in this cradle and she didn't seem to be in any hurry to get out.

She put a stop to that. Wriggling out of Ruby's hold, Weiss returned awkwardly to her feet. "Y-y-yes, I do! In my own bunk! You can get changed in the bathroom!"

Looking embarrassed herself, Ruby nodded and they entered the dorm room, purposely not looking at each other. It made it easier for Weiss to notice that the rug wasn't the only thing that Yang determined had to go; Blake's bunk had been stripped bare. Blanket, sheets, and pillow had all mysteriously vanished, leaving a plain mattress behind. Just as Weiss was wondering where their faunus teammate was, an arm happened to fall over the side of the top bunk and hang there.

 _…I guess they're sharing beds now?_ she questioned as she stared at Blake's sleeping face. _Ugh, forget it. They've caused me enough trouble as it is._

By the time Weiss retrieved her nightgown, Ruby had gotten her own pajamas and disappeared into the bathroom to change. Trying to dampen anymore thoughts about troublesome teammates, the heiress tried to fixate on her need to get some rest. At this point she was too exhausted to even be bothered by her feelings for Ruby; she can worry about all this when she recharged and can form a plan of how to proceed.

She tossed her tiara onto her bunk followed by her jacket and dress. Once she slipped her gown over her body, Weiss tugged her hair out from its depths so that it can hang freely down her back. After a half-hearted attempt to smooth it down, she bent down to pull off her boots.

 _Oh,_ there _you are._ It was when the heiress tugged off her footwear that she happened to notice the scroll that was leaning against a leg of her bed. Not caring how it got there, Weiss picked it up and flipped it around to stare at the screen.

It was Ruby's as she suspected. There were two notifications demanding her attention with the first being a message that had been the one she sent from the library. The other…

_[Video file exceeding maximum memory storage. Recording paused.]_

Recording?Curiosity and lack of sleep dulling her better judgment, Weiss pressed a random point in the middle to start it.

If not for the candle in the video, Weiss wouldn't know what was going on. Its dim light allowed her to recognize the interior of a dark dorm room – theirs. Despite that, Weiss brought the screen closer to try and discern what was going on in the center where something was rolling around on the rug.

The moans that had every hair on Weiss's head standing on end told her that that something was really _two_ somethings.

 _"Oooh, Blakey-chan_ , _"_ came a voice that sounded way too much like Yang's. _"I guess it's true what they say about cat faunus."_ There came a squeak followed by a low, _"Sooo true."_

_SWEET LORD!_

Weiss heard the bathroom door open. "Is Yang back already? Hey, is that my scroll?"

Said scroll shattered into pieces.

"Why did you do that!?" Ruby cried out in dismay.

Weiss didn't respond immediately, instead letting the pieces of the destroyed device slip between her fingers and fall to the floor. With a bowed head, she calmly spoke, "Go to bed, Ruby."

"There's a fine for damaging them! I hope you plan on paying for it!"

"Then I'll pay for it!" Weiss whirled around on Ruby to reveal eyes that have become wide and wild and a pale face that was bright red. " _ **GO TO BED RIGHT NOW RUBY!**_ "

That pretty much killed any room for argument. As if she had been whipped, Ruby shot from the bathroom door and rushed towards her bunk, practically colliding into it. In spite of it now swinging, Ruby climbed up to fulfill Weiss's demand.

Instead of watching the struggling girl, Weiss peered back at the sleeping Blake. The arm that she had so casually dismissed she now saw was naked…as she guessed the rest of the faunus was beneath the covers. The heiress's shout was unable to rouse her as Blake still slept peacefully with a wide smile on her face.

Weiss buried her face in her hands. _I want to go to bed and pretend this day never happened. Even better, I think I'll sleep through all of Saturday. Just lie under the covers and let time fly by. I don't care what these dolts do as long as they promise to leave me in peace._

She just needed time to recover to get her brain straightened out. That beautiful, sensible, intelligent brain of hers that she was so proud of yet feared was going to reach the breaking point soon. As long as nothing crazy happens during the few seconds it would take for her to get into her bed-

_Snap! Sn-snap-snap!_

_CRASH!_

Weiss dropped her hands from her face. _Don't turn around._ She balanced on the balls of her feet. _Don't turn around, Weiss._ She turned around.

She was torn about either screaming or crying.

The improvised curtains were the only signs of where Ruby's bed was supposed to be. The light fabrics didn't carry enough weight to break free from the ropes that kept them suspended.

Weiss's bunk was gone. Pulverized. Beneath the weight of the bed that had slammed down upon it, the wooden legs had transformed into splinters, leading to the collapse of the rest of it. Under the crumpled blanket, Weiss could see the mattress and sheets that have become torn, cotton and springs poking out. The headboard had snapped in two.

 _…I want to go home._ It was not a realm of rage or despair that Weiss found herself in but somewhere in between that gave her unshakable cool and clarity. _I'm an heiress to a company worth billions of Lien. I don't need to learn how to fight monsters because I'll be too busy supplying the entire world with Dust. My life is already set for me so why am I even here?_

_You beat me, Beacon. I honestly thought I had you backed into a corner. I can ace your tests, kill your Grimm, remain attentive and awake for your lectures, but now I see this flank that I left exposed. You used my own team against me. I was so naïve to believe that the trust and friendship here was meant to help me when I see that you were setting me up for betrayal. Touché, I admit defeat._

The fencer spotted movement on top of the two-bed pile. She peered at the shifting covers just in time for a red-black head to pop out. The narrowed red eyes of a wolf landed on her, causing a jolt of electricity to race through her body.

Ruby slid her sleep mask up to her forehead to clear her vision and better examine the catastrophe. She looked up towards the ceiling, then down, then to the debris that had been scattered all over the dorm room. With each turn of her head her face became paler and paler as the blood continually drained from it.

A shadow loomed over her. Without thinking she whipped her head around at the source and found Weiss Schnee standing at her bedside. Panicked silver eyes locked with icy blue ones that have become deathly calm. Silence reigned between them.

"Hehe..." Ruby dared to break it with a nervous chuckle. "I guess you were right. Remember when you said this might be incredibly dangerous? After careful examination of recent events, as leader of Team RWBY I have decided that my best teammate has brought up a valid point. From now on, no more bunk beds."

Weiss stared at her. Didn't glare, didn't frown, didn't provide a hint of emotion. She just stared.

"At least nobody got hurt?"

"Move."

The command carried none of the volume of the previous one but Ruby reacted all the same. Promptly rolling away to the other side of the bed, the young leader entertained the idea of somehow digging up Weiss's blanket from the remains of her bunk. Maybe she could sleep on Blake's bed as it seemed like the two girlfriends were deciding to share one now. Just as Ruby stood on her feet, however, something gripped the back of her pajama top and yanked her back.

Ruby fell onto her bunk with a grunt. The grip on her clothing was released so that an arm can snake around her middle and drag her across the mattress a bit more. After a blanket was thrown over her, a second arm joined the first.

Ruby's bed fared better than Weiss's. While it was now tilted awkwardly and visible cracks split the wooden frame, it was more-or-less intact. Besides, what Weiss ended up finding proved to make her forget about whatever minor discomforts she felt.

 _She has a strong back,_ the heiress commented. When her cheek pressed against Ruby, she could feel the hard muscles of her shoulder blades. Her partner's initial squirming at this unexpected contact had her stomach rubbing against her bare arms that could feel her sturdy abdomen.

The fencer had gotten a sneak preview when she had been cradled in Ruby's arms. With a year and a half of witnessing her partner wield Crescent Rose in and out of combat, she should've expected this. Nothing could've prepared her for what it felt like to hold such a strong body in her arms though. She had called Ruby a child so long ago yet Weiss was the one who was clinging to her as if she was an infant seeking the reassurance that came from the stable presence of another.

The skin of her legs brushed against the rose-decorated pajama pants, her toes touching the backs of Ruby's uncovered feet. Weiss traded the hard surface of her partner's shoulders for the soft mat of red-black tresses that decorated her head. She was pleasantly surprised when a deep breath identified a scent that matched her leader's name.

"Weiss?" Having stuck to just fidgeting within the grip of the ivory-haired girl 'less she incurred her wrath, the deep breath that tickled her ear persuaded Ruby to speak. "What are you doing?"

"I'll tell you later," Weiss murmured. Her exploratory movements had come to a halt, the heiress settling into a comfortable position. "Let's get some sleep; we have a busy day today."

"W-we do?"

Weiss groaned, the vibrations of which caused Ruby to shiver. "Well we have to do something about our beds. First thing we're going to do is head to the city and pick out _proper_ bunk beds."

Ruby nodded but soon considered that as a mistake as Weiss's face rubbed against her head in an attempt to relocate its comfortable resting spot. "Makes sense, I guess." A thought came to her. "We left the books you wanted to check out at the library."

"It's fine, you don't need them. You're more than prepared to pass Sunday's test after some quizzing but we'll do that later. Since our schedule will be messed up anyway, how about I treat you to lunch in Vale? Depending on how long it takes for the beds, maybe we can catch a movie before dinner?"

Ruby blinked and was becoming very aware of the heat spreading across her face. She dared to roll around so that she could face Weiss properly. "Weiss…I know better than to think it but this sounds a lot like a date."

Compared to Ruby's blushing face, Weiss was practically stony. The heiress rolled her eyes. "That's because it is." She brought Ruby's sleep mask back over her eyes.

"Hey!"

Weiss didn't give Ruby a chance to recover. Any words or actions that her leader wished to make were frozen when the heiress kissed her. Those muscles that she had admired she felt tense in time with the muffled 'mmf!' that went against her blocked lips.

Yep, perfect. Now that she was fully aware and in control, Weiss was able to appreciate what her time of research and outrageous theories has led her to. Upon breaking away, the lips she just tasted separated to display awe, the sight of which gave her immense satisfaction.

Glad that she got Ruby to stop making unnecessary movements, Weiss tried to locate a new position for her head. She found it as soon as her ear located the unsteady rhythm of a heartbeat that she theorized would make a good lullaby. The haze that she felt overtaking her consciousness turned that theory into a fact.

She was forgetting something. Oh, right. "We need to make time for a run to the grocery store. I'll leave it to you to locate the ingredients we need for those cookies." The last words she mumbled before giving in to sleep were, "I've never baked anything before."

When Ruby did pull her mask up again it was to see a sleeping Weiss nestled against her chest. Her open mouth closed before the corners of her lips quirked upwards to form a smile. Bringing the mask down so that red wolf eyes settled back over her silver ones, Ruby gently embraced Weiss.

"So insufferable…" she murmured, resting her chin within the lengths of snowy hair before joining her partner in her dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is where I begin Soulbound right afterwards. Crazy journey, don't ya think?


End file.
